Our Secret
by RyeCat
Summary: "You'll never be free ... from me." Every night, nightmares haunt Erza's dreams but as she wakes up, she is greeted with a nightmare ... Jellal. / Jellal x Erza
1. Our Secret

**There is a chance of this being a little bit OOC-ish and I haven't watched all of Fairy Tail yet but I couldn't help myself from writing a Jellal x Erza story =,= This takes place around the time before the Tower of Heaven arc because I some what like the evil Jellal. Sorry if there is any mistakes or errors.  
><strong>

**Disclaimer; **I do not own **Fairy Tail**. It belongs to **Hiro Mashima.**

**Summary**; "You'll never be free ... from me." Every night, nightmares haunt Erza's dreams but as she wakes up, she is greeted with a nightmare ... Jellal. / Jellal x Erza

* * *

><p><em>Our Secret<em>

**x.x.x**

Another successful job accomplished. It was a simple task, a small village in the outskirts of Oshibana Town requested the slaying of a vicious monster that terrorized the villagers every time they attempted to go into the forest. However, the most powerful team within Fairy Tail had also successfully destroyed half of the village during the process. Half of the reward was given to the village for repairs, while the rest went towards Lucy to help her pay her rent for this month. Erza didn't mind giving most of the jewels to Lucy, the up-beat and bubbly blonde had became one of her closest friends since Lucy had joined the guild. Natsu and Gray were also her closest friends as well, but Erza couldn't help but feel a gap between them and herself. She never told them of her dreaded past or how Jellal still haunted every night, through her dreams and reality.

Nightmares would plague Erza's mind every night since she left that horrible island nearly eight years ago. Especially that look in Jellal's eyes, the look of pure _evil_. He had changed, drastically. Erza wanted to save him but there was truly nothing she could do. The memories took over her dreams and suddenly, Erza was jolted awake. Sweat consumed her body, her breathing heavy as she sat up from her bed. Tears swelled up from her left, brown eye and ran along her cheek. Quickly, she requiped into her regular, ironclad armor for comfort but her body was still shaking. She was Erza Scarlet, a S-class wizard from Fairy Tail! But, weakness and insecurity still gnawed at her mind due to those countless years she spent in that tower as a slave. Summoning enough courage to leave her bed, Erza made her way towards her bathroom. The house Erza lived in was quite plain, a few plants and paintings were the only decorations. The size of the single bathroom was incredibly narrow as well.

"What is wrong with me." She heard herself growl in frustration as she ran the water from the faucet and splashed the chilly liquid on her sweating face. A soft sigh escaped her thin lips as she placed both her hands on the sink and leaned down with her scarlet hair falling in front of her eyes. Strains of her hair stuck to her face due to the water and sweat, but she didn't care at this moment. All she wanted to do was calm down and collect herself, her team needed her tomorrow for another mission, "I freed myself from that place a long time ago."

"You'll never be free." Her dark, brown eyes shot opened. _That voice_. Her trembling continued, where had the strong, powerful Erza go? A sadistic chuckle soon followed as a hand was placed upon her armor covered back. She lifted her face up from the sink, turning off the faucet in a quick motion, then Erza jerked around, smacking the hand away from her.

There he was ... Jellal. A twisted look of pleasure was present in his dark, evil eyes. With two people inside the Erza's tiny bathroom, it was already uncomfortably cramped. There wasn't much space between the sink and the shower behind Jellal. She glanced sideways at the door, it was shut but she never remembered hearing it close. Her angry orbs then rested back on Jellal as she clenched her fists tightly. Jellal's body moved an inch closer, that's all he needed before he was pressed up against Erza. Normally, the Titania would lash out at the enemy with her many swords but something about Jellal's menacing gaze caused her to freeze up. She _hated _how he had that much _control_ over her. Suddenly, she felt his arm wrap around her sides, squeezing her into a tight hug.

"Erza." He deep, velvety voice muttered as his chin rested on her shoulder. An odd, warm feeling spread across Erza's cheeks as the paleness turned a light shade of pink. His grip tighten, "I've missed you ... Erza."

Her body ceased it's terrified shaking and her breathing returned to normal. The tone within Jellal's voice was strangely calming but Erza didn't understand his sudden kindness though she didn't fight it. Cautiously, Erza lifted her arms and wrapped them around Jellal's back. His shoulder's were quite broad and Erza felt the presence of muscles under his layer of clothes. Not only did she feel small and frail in Jellal's arms, she felt protected. Suddenly, her standard armor disappeared as Erza requiped into her white, sleeveless blouse and her medium length, blue skirt. She didn't know why she requiped but part of her believe she wanted to see if she felt as safe as she did without it. Just as her armor vanished, reality brutally snapped back in as Jellal's grip tighten into a painful lock around her waist.

"Jellal!" Erza gasped out as she became short of breath. His gloved fingers dug painfully into her back but as much as she wanted to attack him ... she couldn't. Then Jellal released his hold, stepped back, and gazed down at Erza. His green, brown eyes narrowed as a smirk appeared across his face.

"I hope you've been keeping our secret, Erza." Jellal's warned venomously. Over the past eight years, Jellal had continued to construction of the Tower of Heaven but Erza didn't want anything to do with. He had allowed to leave but she had to swear to keep the tower a secret, or he would harm Sho and her other friends.

"What are you doing here!" Erza snapped, her previous anger returning. Jellal only let out a silence chuckle before he proceeded to exit the crowded bathroom, leaving Erza even more infuriated. She followed immediately after Jellal left the room, only to find him sitting down upon her bed.

The window located above her bed let in a slight bit of moonlight. The radiant, starry light cast down upon Jellal's blue, silky hair making it softly glow. Beside him, Jellal patted his hand on her mattress as if gesturing her to sit down. Erza remained cautious this time but deciding not yet to requip, and she sat beside her childhood friend. Silent tension filled the room as neither said a word. This had been the first time Jellal ever visited Erza during the dead of the night and she had an eerie feeling it wasn't the last.

"What are you doing here?" Erza repeated firmly, "I don't wan-"

Her voice was suddenly cut off by something she hadn't expected. Jellal leaned over towards her and in a swift motion, cut her sentence off by kissing her. It was gentle and soft, passionate and kind; it was everything Jellal was not. Familiar warmth began to spread across her cheeks again. She _hated _the feeling, yet _loved _it at the same time. His hand found it's way to her chin, lifting her face up more towards his and deepening the kiss. Secretly, she had been waiting for this moment ever since she was little. Jellal was always Erza's crush, she admired him greatly during the slave days within the tower and wanted nothing more to be with him forever. There was also Simon who loved Erza but she didn't feel the same way about him as she did for Jellal. Soon enough, Erza felt her eyes slowly begin to close.

"Don't ever tell anyone I've been here." Jellal sternly stated, his eyes narrowing into a glare as he pulled away from their kiss. Erza blinked, confused by his sudden change in attitude but then she realized he _still_ is the _enemy_. Her fierce, brown eyes returned the glare.

"Don't come back." Erza said, bluntly.

"Oh, but I am," Jellal responded, his lips formed into a sly grin as he cup her chin once again and pulled her face close, "You'll never be free from me. Erza Scarlet, you're _mine_."

Jellal swiftly pushed the window above Erza's bed open and jumped out. Had she not locked her window? Even though anger and rage still pulsed through her body, Erza could still feel the blush that stain a bright red on her face. Gently, she lifted her two fingers and softly touched her lips. That was the first time she had ever been _kissed_. During her childhood years at Fairy Tail, she wasn't very interested in boys and Natsu always wanted to fight her. Also when she became known as Titania, Queen of the Fairies, that also held her back in her personal love life. Soon enough after laying awake and restless for hours after her surprised visitor left, Erza finally found herself asleep but her dreams still were hellish nightmares of the tower and the evil look in Jellal's eyes.

* * *

><p>AN ;; **That's the end, for now. I might continue on with this if people think it's any good. But thanks for reading, and please leave a review~**


	2. Reward

**Thanks for the reviews, I really appreciate them very much! They always make me feel so warm and fuzzy~ I'm glad you all like it so far!  
><strong>

**Disclaimer; **I do not own **Fairy Tail**. It belongs to **Hiro Mashima.**

* * *

><p><em>Reward<em>

**x.x.x  
><strong>

Currently the Fairy Tail Guild house was under construction because of the attack by the Phantom Lord Guild. After everyone joined together to defeat the rival guild, all the members were pitching in order to re-build the new house, even Natsu and Gray tried working together but the fire and ice wizards were still at each other's throats. Even Erza was dedicated to building the new house, she had requiped herself into an official construction outfit, hard-hat and everything. However today she was more sluggish than usual. Jellal's visited left her with little to no sleep and she couldn't help but keep looking over her shoulder for those eyes, those devilish eyes. After she spent a good straight three hours of working, Erza decided to relax at the temporary beer hall outside. Lucy was sitting at the counter chatting with Mirajane as usual. The happy, blonde girl was wearing her routine clothes for this week of a blue, tight-fitting shirt along with a very short, tan skirt and her signature high-heel, black boots. Mirajane offered the Titania a fresh, cold drink and Erza graciously accepted. The blazing sun's rays amplified the overbearing humidity of the afternoon and Erza could feel the sweat starting to form on her forehead. Mirajane slid a cup of iced juice across the bar towards Erza, who caught it before it had a chance to fall off the table. Unlike most Fairy Tail members, Erza preferred the sweet and tangy taste of orange juice instead of beer.

Being with her guildmates had eased Erza's stress and working on the new building kept her mind away from last night. Erza was even beginning to believe that it was nothing but another nightmare. Though anxiety and worry tugged at her mind and her friend, Lucy Heartfilia, could tell that something was wrong with Erza. Her curious brown eyes gazed at the scarlet haired knight with concern.

"Is something wrong?" Lucy inquired just as Erza finished her glass. The question was inevitable, Erza knew that, but she didn't know how to answer. The last thing she wanted is for her friends to be worried. _"Don't ever tell anyone I've been here." _Jellal's voice repeated in her mind. Her gloved hand tighten on the glass as she remembered Jellal's voice, there was no way that was just a dream.

"The sun, um, it's hot and I've been working all day. It's probably just the heat getting to me." Erza made up an excuse, fanning herself with her hand. Lucy was reluctant to accept Erza's answer but only grinned kindly.

"Don't try to overwork yourself!" Lucy warned with a slight chuckle before she turned back towards Mirajane. Quietly, Erza let out a sigh of relief as Lucy didn't press the subject any longer. The snow, white haired waitress and the celestial wizard seemed to be on another topic about Loke and why he had been acting strange lately. Erza didn't know much about Loke, she kept her distance from the flirtatious lady killer. Loke was still a fellow guild member and she couldn't help but wonder if everything was alright.

"Shut up, droopy eyes! I don't need your help!" Natsu yelled. Gazing over at the scene, Erza could see both her teammates, Natsu and Gray, starting up another fight. Natsu held his fist angrily up in the air, while his other hand was used to carry a quite heavy load of wood. The ice mage probably had offered to help Natsu to carry some of the planks but the proud fire dragon wasn't going to let such a thing happen.

"You're going to drop all of those, you flame-brain!" Gray retorted, his fist resting on his hips as he rolled his dark eyes. There quarrel was over as soon as it started, Erza was relieved she didn't have to jump in between them _again_. Just as the Titania turned her back on the two, she heard a crashing sound with the falling of wooden planks short after. A frown appeared on Erza's face and her brown eyes narrowed as she clenched her fist. She heard Lucy let out a small squeak, she always feared the anger of Erza.

"Quit showing off and start working! We need to get this done!" Erza roared as she stomped over to the boys, who were now cowering in fear.

Lucy giggled, whatever was bothering Erza in the first place seemed to disappear now, "Maybe I was just imagining things."

* * *

><p>The day proceed like normal. The construction of the building was progressing at an excellent rate and the new guild house would be done in no time. Erza found herself breaking up fights between Natsu and Gray again and again, but part of her didn't mind. She was also glad to see Levy working again with her partners, Jet and Droy, as they were fully recovered from their horrific ambush from Phantom Lord's dragon slayer, Gajeel. The blue haired script mage was still a bit jumpy and shaky but worked as hard as she could. Erza couldn't help but smile, she loved her guild and her fellow guildmates. Night drew near as Erza returned home and her fears returned and grew stronger. This time she double checked, no triple checked, every door and window within her small home to make sure it was locked and secure. There was no way Jellal would be able to sneak in as he did last night, not without her knowing.<p>

Once Erza drank a cup of milk and requiped into her lavender and red crosses pajamas, she settled down in to the comfort of her bed. Her muscles ached from her overworking herself in an attempt to keep her wandering mind busy, she should have listened to Lucy and not work so hard. Her body sunk into the plush cushion and her clean comforter felt soft and silky on her skin. There was a slight chill in the air but her body grew warm quickly under the blanket. Her eyes fluttered shut and she soon slipped into a deep sleep.

_"P-Please, don't hurt him!" Her voice screeched. Her voice was hoarse and inflamed due to lack of water, she was surprise she was even able to say anything at all. Just below Erza's tiny, bare feet laid her friend, Simon. His body was battered and bruise just as one of the guards gave him a severe beating for not working. It wasn't his fault, Simon was hungry and was beginning to feel light-headed so Erza told him to sit down for a moment and she would do his work until he felt better.  
><em>

_The guard only cackled loudly, ignoring Erza's pleas, and continued kicking the child violently in the side. In one big kick in the face, the man sent Simon flying and hit roughly against the wall. Erza raced after her friend, tears already streaming down her face. Dirt covered Simon's body and his right eye, where he got kicked, was starting to swell. Erza started to shake him awake but Simon wouldn't move, though the faint rise and fall of his chest gave her hope. The sound of footsteps drew closer, it was the guard. A hand grasped Erza's shoulder roughly and she felt her entire body tense up in pure fear. The man cursed hatefully as he lifted up Erza's tiny body with one hand, his grip was tight and painful as she struggled against his hold in the air, "Piece of trash."_

_"Leave her alone!" A familiar voice called out in rage ... Jellal! Erza weakly smiled but as soon as she did, the guard slung her body to the side. Erza crashed into the dirt wall, the impact caused her vision to fade into darkness._

_... "Er-chan? Wake up ..."_

"_Er-chan._ Wake up, Er-chan." Millianna? That was the only person that ever called her that but it couldn't possibly be Millianna. At first, her vision was blurry due to the darkness surrounding her room but as her sight grew accustomed to the night, Erza's teeth clenched tightly together and her body tensed up. Looming above her once sleeping figure was none other than _Jellal_. That same sly, sadistic grin was plastered on his face as he was straddling her sleeping form in her own bed with his face dangerously close to hers and his finger poking at her cheek. She balled up her fist and then '_Pow!_' as her knuckles came into contact with Jellal's face. He was sent flying off her bed and landed on the floor with a big '_thud_'. How he was going to save her in her dream was quickly forgotten by her rude awakening.

"H-How dare you!" Erza snapped, covering herself protectively with her sheets as she sat up from her bed. As Jellal recovered from his sudden surprise attack, he stood up and wiped the dust from his expensive looking attire. He brought he hand to his temple, massaging the side of his head.

"I wasn't expecting that, Er-chan." Jellal grumbled like an upset child, but Erza could hear the venom in his voice. With a hefty sigh, Jellal sat down on Erza's bed, in the same seat he claimed the night before.

"_Don't _call me that." Erza growled, tightening her grip on the covers, Millianna was the only one that ever called her _Er-chan_. It felt sickening to hear Jellal call her that, she knew the only reason he was doing it was to upset her. And it was working.

His presence wasn't as frightening as the night before but the thought of him inside _her _home, on _her_ bed, sent chills down her spine. Erza had to keep reminding herself this wasn't the Jellal she knew during her childhood before he lost his mind. The creaking of the window sill distracted Erza for a moment, her window was opened but she clearly recalled locking it before she went to bed. The light breeze of the night touched her exposed skin and caused her to shiver slightly. Erza never liked the cold.

"You look cold, Er-chan." The sound of his voice had a hint of concern but Erza wasn't fooled by his sudden kind-heartedness. Erza shook her head and pulled the blanket close to her shoulders. Ignoring her denial, Jellal's body leaned closer to the blanket-covered Erza. She scooted away from him until her back hit the wall, she was cornered. Jellal crawled closer and grasped Erza's body, holding her tightly. She waited for the pain, where he would dig his fingers into her skin, but it never came. She felt the warmth emitting from his body and the chill of the breeze was gone. Their position was quite uncomfortable, Erza's knees were bent up to her chest and Jellal's arms circled around her body. The way he held her firmly, her legs were crushed up against his chest and his knees on the bed as he leaned over her, his chin on her shoulder.

During the cold, dark nights at the tower, Jellal would sleep next to Erza and hold her tightly until she would fall asleep. They way they slept wasn't like how Jellal held her now but it made Erza reminisce about those times. She hated being a slave and working in that tower, but when Jellal was with her; it made everything better.

"I see you've been a good girl, Er-chan. You didn't tell anyone about our secret." Jellal whispered into Erza's ear, implying that he had been watching her throughout the day, "Think of this night as a reward for your loyalty."

"Why are you doing this to me, Jellal?" She kept her voice calm even though she was beginning to shake with rage. A grin appeared on his face, it wasn't the evil, murderous grin that was usually on his face ... but more of a _happy_ grin. Erza's frustration grew, Jellal's insanity was impossible to predict.

"Didn't I tell you, Erza? You're mine." Jellal said. He turned his head slightly, so that he was facing the Titania and he gave a small kiss on her cheek, which was starting to turn red. She was waiting for the discomfort of Jellal's grip tightening until she couldn't breath but throughout the night, it didn't come. They stayed in their awkward position. Even though it was uncomfortable, Erza grew use to it until she found herself falling asleep on Jellal's shoulder. Her mind feel into a rare, dreamless sleep.

* * *

><p>AN ;; **Another chapter! If you leave a review, I'll reward your loyalty with more chapters~ Haha ... seriously. Anyway, the next chapter might be a bit later because hopefully, I'm going to the beach tomorrow and I won't be able to write anything during that time. Thanks for reading!  
><strong>


	3. Obey Me

**Thanks for the reviews and to everyone who has been reading this. I guess this is kinda during the Loke Arc, but I'm trying not to make it exactly like it was in the anime. Also, I might drop a few hints of Grayza but don't worry Jellal and Erza are meant to be, well at least in my opinion. Also, I know Erza lives in Fairy Hills but I didn't figure out this knowledge until after I started writing, but I don't really think it's much of a big deal.  
><strong>

**Disclaimer; **I do not own **Fairy Tail**. It belongs to **Hiro Mashima.**

* * *

><p><em>Obey Me<em>

**x.x.x**

"Jellal?" Erza muttered drowsily, bringing her hands up to rub the sleepiness out of her eyes. Sniffling, the Titania scanned the area before her. She was still crushed up against the wall, her knees to her chest but her room was empty. Jellal had vanished along with the moon. Disappointment filled her heart and she could fill tears collecting in the corner of her eye. Then she soon realized last night was nothing more than one of Jellal's games, he was trying to trick her into trusting him.

She couldn't worry about that now, Erza still had a duty to her friends. Determination replaced her disappointment as she requiped into her custom-made Heart Kreuz armor, she recalled Natsu found a job which involved subduing thieves. It would probably take at least three days to finish the job and Erza needed to get packing. Erza made up her bed, the covers were a mess from last night. A blush crept along her cheeks as she realized how she worded it in her mind, they didn't do anything but sleep! Either way, it still sounded disgusting.

Her house only consisted of two rooms, the main area and the single bathroom. The main area held a small, cramp kitchen with a stove, a refrigerator, and a single counter top with a round table for one in the center. Her 'bedroom' was also in the main area, her bed and dresser was off in the corner near the only window in the house. There was a rarely used recliner in another corner with a plant beside it. Pictures hung on the wall of guildmates and her younger years at Fairy Tail. After Erza finished quickly tidying up her meagerly sized home, she left for the construction sight for Fairy Tail.

* * *

><p>Team Natsu, which they were unofficially dubbed by many of the guild members, had finished the mission much faster than expected. Erza had predicted it was last up to three days, it only took up two. Luckily for Erza, her late night visits with Jellal had been put on hold during the job. She assumed he didn't have the guts to bother her in a tent full of her friends ready to defend her. However, the nightmares still continued and she even woke up with a muffled scream. The dark headed, ice mage had asked if she was alright, concern filling his eyes but Erza only nodded and returned back to sleep. Not wanting to make Gray more worried about her than usual. As the team was heading back to Magnolia, Lucy stopped in mid-step and she was blinking curiously.<p>

"So, we basically have a free day?" the key-bearer inquired, a sly grin appearing on her face. Natsu, Erza, and Gray gave her questioning look, not fully understanding what Lucy was implying. Sighing in frustration, she explained, "We should take a mini-vacation instead of just going back to the guild and getting another job right away."

Erza felt her lips tug into a smile, "That's a great idea, Lucy. There is a small town, west of Magnolia, called Hosenka Town. It would be perfect."

Relief flooded through her, another night with her friends meant Jellal wouldn't come near her. Happy clapped his tiny, paws together as he was excited about the idea. Instead of heading straight for their guild's hometown, they took the westward trail towards Hosenka.

Hosenka Town was simply ... beautiful. Once they arrived at their destination, the daylight had grown dark and the spa town was lit up with brilliant, illuminating lights. Erza had rarely been to the town, only once or twice, and everytime she came she was amazed by the colorful lights along the street and the interesting architect of the buildings. It seemed Erza's troubles were melting away, maybe Jellal would leave her be. Ugh, why did her mind always come back to him? It was _her_ one day vacation and all she was worried about was Jellal leaving her alone.

Lucy and Erza departed from the boys as they went to the hot spring. Erza hoped the fire dragon and the ice creation mage would get along and not destroy anything while they were left unsupervised.. She dipped her foot into the steaming water, testing it. It wasn't too hot since she was still wearing her armor but she felt more comfortable, mentally at least.

"Erza? You're going to wear your armor?" Lucy questioned, her naked body was concealed by the darkness of the water. Erza realized how silly she must look.

"I feel protected when I wear my armor." The Titania submerged her body into the steaming liquid and the water soon began filling into her ironclad armor. The odd feeling was quite gross. With a sigh, Erza requiped into the appropriate attire for the hot spring, no clothes.

The two Fairy Tail girls chatted in the hot spring, well Erza mostly listened. Lucy was expressing her worry for Loke and how he had been avoiding her all this time, Erza didn't really know how to give advice but she offered what she could. "Why not confront him and corner him so where couldn't get away?"

"No, no." Lucy declined her friend's advice, waving her hand in objection, "I don't want to scare him to death."

After a moment of silence as they both relaxed, Lucy gazed curiously at Erza and her body lowered into the water so that only her face could been seen, "Hey, Erza, do you like anyone?" It caught the warrior off guard and a sense of awkwardness filled the air, or at least Erza thought so. She knew Lucy was overly romantic and nearly obsessed with boys but she never expected her to talk to Erza about it. Almost copying Lucy, Erza went deeper into the warm water and her eyes blinked as she thought. Natsu was too much of a brother to Erza and she didn't feel any _romantic_ feelings towards the dragon slayer. Gray, she felt a bit of a spark with the ice mage but she considered him to be more of Lucy type. Loke didn't seem to stand out much in her mind and neither did the rest of the men within Fairy Tail. _J-Jellal?_

"I-I don't know." Erza admitted but refused to mention her stalker. Even though she hated Jellal, she had more 'love' _feelings_ for him than anybody. She felt her cheeks heat up and turn a light shade of pink, thankfully it went unnoticed by Lucy. Then suddenly the thought of Jellal watching her entered Erza's mind, that chill ran through her body she automatically requiped as she felt exposed. Lucy was caught by surprised.

"W-What's wrong! Why did you change back?" Lucy questioned still not sure what to make out of Erza's sudden requip. However, the blonde covered her chest with her arms on instinct and scanned the surrounding area.

* * *

><p>It was getting later and their skin was becoming pruny from being in the water for a long period of time. They decided is was about time to return to their room. Each of the fairies received a robe, which Lucy squealed about how cute it was. It was a simple, kimono-like robe that was a sky blue and had pink floral designs on it. The flirtatious Lucy, of course, wore the robe more loosely to show off her cleavage. Since Erza still felt the awkwardness of being followed and watched, her kimono was wrapped tightly and properly.<p>

Natsu and Gray were lounging in the room when Lucy and Erza arrived and they had similar robes as well. Even Happy was wearing one as the blue he-cat was nibbling on a fish in the corner ...

Erza couldn't remember how it started but a fierce and deadly pillow fight had commence out of the blue. The ever so confident Lucy had attempted to join in on the pillow fight but one blow to the head had nearly knocked her unconscious. She quickly retreated and went off to get a drink with Plue. The pillows were slung across the room at high speeds and Erza was hit quite a few times but she ignored the pain, she wasn't going to let Natsu or Gray claim victory! After a good hour of the intense fighting, the trio had fell were they stood. Out of breath and dizzy on the floor with the pillow scattered everywhere. It seemed no one was victorious. Natsu and Gray were lazily snoring as they were already asleep due to their exhaustion from the pillow fight.

Lucy had been gone for quite some time and Erza couldn't help but feel a tugging, worried feeling in her stomach. _I should look for her, she should have been back by now_. Erza thought. The full moon shown brightly in the pitch, black sky. Since Lucy's body had broken through the flimsy walls of the inn, Erza could see the moon clearly. The Titania had made herself comfortable among the pillows as she sit on the floor, looking outside. Soon enough, Erza knew something was odd and decided to go search for Lucy. Just as she was about to get up, Erza heard a voice.

"You thought you got rid of me, didn't you?" ... Jellal. She recognized that deep, menacing voice from anywhere. She slowly twisted her head towards the direction behind her. Jellal was standing inside their room with both Natsu and Gray sleeping soundly beneath his feet, his dark, brown-green eyes staring at Erza. The two boys were so drained from the fight that didn't even sense Jellal's presence at all.

"Why are you here?" Erza growled, but kept her voice low. She didn't want to wake up her friends. Jellal only responded with a sly grin and proceed forward, Erza stood her ground and kept a fixed gazed on him. He crouched down on one knee to meet Erza's level on the floor and leaned in closer, his hand cupping her cheek like usual.

"I thought you missed me, Erza?" Jellal replied with fake, hurt tone. He pulled her face closer but his lips did not met hers, he only stared deeply into her chocolate, brown eyes, "I have a task for you that will prove your loyalty to me."

After hesitation, Erza finally spoke, "What?" Her tone was flat and uncaring, she didn't plan on doing anything for Jellal but she didn't want to get him angry and for him to attack her. That would wake up Natsu and Gray and she didn't want them to start fighting with Jellal, that would definitely cause destruction to Honseka ...

"It's nothing big, I just want you to get one of your blonde friend's keys for me." Jellal explained in his hushed tone, "I'll give you until tomorrow night, that should be enough time for the powerful Titania."

One of Lucy's keys? Her eyes narrowed viciously, Erza wasn't a thief and she wasn't going to steal from her friends. Why did Jellal even want one anyway? In a forceful motion, Erza jerked her chin away from Jellal's grasp and stood up, her fist balled up in rage. "I'm not following your orders." Erza gritted her teeth, her voice coming out louder than she would like.

"Think of it this way, Erza; if you obey me, I'll _reward_ you and if not, you'll be _punished_. Either way, I'm going to enjoy." That signature, sadistic grin was plastered on his face as he stood up and creepy chills were sent along the Titania's spine. You'd think she would be use to the chills but they caught her off guard every time.

"Erza?" A sleepy voice called out from underneath a pillow, Gray's dark head poked out as he rubbed his eyes. It took a moment for his vision to become focused and he realized an intruder was in the room, he jumped to his feet and ready his stance for a fight, "Who are you? Why are you with Erza?" His voice growled protectively, Gray could sense Erza's discomfort and evil was emitting from the stranger's body.

"Heh, interesting turn of events." Jellal muttered, he was unfazed by Gray's sudden awakening. Natsu was still passed out on the ground, his snores were probably audible from all the down the hall and he sounded no signs of stirring.

As Gray charged forward to send an aggressive punch to Jellal's face, the darkly clothed man step out of the way and Gray tripped over his own feet and almost landed face first into the grass outside. The ice mage twisted around, rage pulsing through his body, but he was met by a surprised scene; the intruder leaned forward and gave Erza small kiss on the lips but his eyes were fixated into a glare towards Gray. What was going on? Gray didn't understand and as he tried to make sense of the situation, Jellal disappeared a second later as he jumped through the broken opening of their room and took off.

"Erza, who was that?" Gray cautiously inquired as he felt a pang of jealousy. Was that man Erza's secret lover or something? Erza's body trembled with helplessness that Gray didn't understand but it was clear the scarlet, haired warrior wasn't going to explain.

"Don't worry about it." She muttered. The dark haired man tried to move closer to his friend but she quickly stepped away, hiding her face, "G-Go look for Lucy, she has been gone for a long time and I'm worried about her."

He knew that was more of an excuse to change the topic, but Gray nodded, "Okay."

As soon as the ice mage left, Erza let out a shaky sigh of relief and took her spot back on the floor. She had sat closer to Natsu, hoping the dragon slayer would provide some sort comfort. The scarlet haired girl brought her knees close to her chest and buried her face in them. Sobbing silently until her two companions, Lucy and Gray returned.

* * *

><p>AN ;; **Wonder what Gray will do now that he has figured out Erza's secret? Will Erza 'obey' Jellal's orders? Thank you for reading and leave a review if you want~  
><strong>


	4. Punishment

**I can't thank you guys enough for the reviews, each time I read one it motivates me to write more c:  
><strong>

**Disclaimer; **I do not own **Fairy Tail**. It belongs to **Hiro Mashima.**

* * *

><p><em>Punishment<br>_

**x.x.x**

The uncomfortable feeling of being watched made Erza's skin crawl, Gray's dark blue eyes stared directly at the back of the warrior's head from across the temporary beer hall. It was the late morning after they left Honseka and the travel back to Magnolia was a long, awkwardly silent walk. Gray had resisted the urge to bombard Erza with tons of questions and Lucy was shaken up after running into two thugs at the inn. However, the blonde, celestial wizard was saved by Loke. The dragon slayer and his cat companion were the only two unaffected by the events from last night and acted indifferent. Back at the guild, everything seemed to appear back to normal. Natsu was bragging that he won the pillow fight and Lucy was expressing her concern for Loke to Mira. Though, Erza knew that Gray wasn't ready to accept back in their normal routine and forget the intruder.

"Erza, would you like a drink?" Mirajane's sweet voice offered, the Titania looked up and saw the friendly smile on her guildmate's face. Erza nodded and silently thanked her as a glass of orange liquid was slid down the bar towards the scarlet haired girl.

The tangy juice eased Erza's mind until the glass was empty, then she felt Gray's stares once more. Maybe she should try some beer, drink until her mind couldn't think straight anymore and everything would turn fuzzy. No, then she would end like Cana and turn to alcohol whenever she felt stressed or just drink all the time. She was Erza Scarlet and she faced her problems head on, with a sword. She got up from her barstool, unnoticed by Lucy and Mira, and marched towards Gray with a serious look on her face.

"E-Erza?" He muttered, obviously taken aback by Erza's sudden approach even though he had been watching her. The sword she was clenching in her ironclad hands also caused a bit of worry for the ice mage.

"I know you were probably wondering who that man was," Erza's tone was unexpectedly soft and her eyes shone a hint of sorrow, "I'll explain everything but I need a place more private to talk."

Gray Fullbuster felt an unexplainable blush creep along his cheeks, Erza never asked to go somewhere _private_ nor had she ever sound so willing to talk to him about personal things. She told him to meet up with her during the afternoon, which wasn't long from now, at the South Gate Park near the large tree.

For now, one of her problems were being dealt with but she still had one more worry .. Lucy and her keys. Jellal had ordered Erza to steal one of the celestial wizard's keys, it didn't matter which one and Erza had guessed it was probably a test to see how much she was under his control. Even if Erza did manage to sneak away from one of the blonde's keys, it wouldn't take long for Lucy to realize it was missing. The key-bearer loved her spirits as much as she loved her friends and Lucy would be distraught if one was gone.

"No." Erza scolded herself as she caught her eyes wandering towards Lucy belt and the ring that held all the keys together. The Titania returned to her barstool, next to Lucy, and held in her frustrated sigh so she wouldn't be questioned about it. Lucy Heartfilia was one of Erza's most treasured friends, she wouldn't betray her for Jellal. She would endure his so-called '_punishment_' for Lucy.

* * *

><p>The day proceeded forward and soon enough, the afternoon was here. Erza made her way slowly towards the tree in the center of the South Gate Park. The tree still held the painful memory of the three-mage team, Shadow Gear, being crucified from it but Erza didn't know anywhere else to meet up with Gray other than her house, and that was out of the question. The shirtless mage was seen leaning against the tree, his arms crossed as he waited from Erza's arrival.<p>

"What do you want to tell me?" Gray inquired coolly, his blue eyes gazing at Erza as she approached him. Many things had been racing through his mind about the stranger and what connection he could have with Erza but he really wanted to hear the truth from her.

"His name is Jellal," Erza began, her mind trying to put the right words together without telling him _everything_, "His a childhood friend of mine, before I joined Fairy Tail, and he's came back."

"Why were you so scared!" Gray snapped, not satisfied with the warrior's answer. Gray was no longer leaning against the tree and he was holding Erza tightly by her shoulders, shaking her lightly.

"He's evil." She finally muttered, her eyes now were cast down to the ground in an almost shameful look, "I'm not sure what he is planing but it's something bad. I don't know why he's bothering me now, he just wants to torture me."

"Leave it to Natsu and I, we'll take care of this guy." The ice wizard reassured Erza, clenching his fist in anger once he released her shoulders. No one was allowed to treat his friends like this, epsecially not Erza. He always had a certain fear of the Titania's wrath and he never seen Erza afraid of anything, but now he could see Erza trembling just by mentioning his name.

"No!" Her voice had taken Gray by surprise, he blinked in confusion, "I didn't want anyone to find out. This is my problem and _my_ problem alone!"

"Erza?" He reached out his hand to the scarlet haired girl, but she only smacked it away. She looked up at him with tears streaming down her left eye. Gray hated seeing her cry and he cringed away. Ever since that day he caught her crying by herself by the river, it always pained him seeing her so sad and he never wanted to see anything like that again.

"Don't tell anyone, please. I can handle this." Erza pleaded before she took off away from the park and raced through the streets of Magnolia, pushing people out of her way. Stopping to catch her breath, Erza found herself within one of the many alleyways of the city. It had been late in the afternoon whenever Erza had met up with Gray, so the sun slowly making its way to the horizon. She pressed her back against the brick wall, her chest heaving and she slid down until she was sitting on the stone ground.

"Why are you doing this to me!" Erza heard herself yelling out in frustration to no one in particular. She had reached the deserted streets of the large city, so nobody was there to hear her ranting as she continued. It was all Jellal's fault for her frustration. She _hated_ him. There was no doubting it now. He was trying to turn her against her friends, trying to toy with her mind, and trying to use her.

Suddenly an all too familiar presence approached Erza, the sound of boots hitting the pavement echoed throughout the alleyway. _Jellal_. She jerked her head towards the man as he came closer and stood looming over her body, his hands behind his back.

"I see you disobeyed me." Jellal scolded, his eyebrows narrowing in a glare but Erza held her defiant gaze, "Not once, but twice now. I'll have to punish-"

_Smack!_ He didn't see it coming, Erza's body moved so quickly that he hadn't seen her stand up and send her hand roughly across his face. Pain shoot through his cheek as her hand made contact with the tattoo on his face. His gloved hand instinctively reached for his now red cheek in shock.

"I don't care." Erza hissed, "Do whatever, I don't care. You'll never be able to control me!" She truly didn't care. She didn't care that she told Gray her _secret_ or that she didn't obey Jellal and tried to take one of Lucy's keys. There was nothing he could do right now to make her feel worse. Even though she hadn't done anything to her friends, she still felt as if she betrayed them.

For a moment, they stared at each other. Erza's eyes full of rage and Jellal's were unreadable but eventually, his lips formed into a small, weak grin, "Erza, I love you."

"W-What?" Erza stuttered, she was angry that her cheeks grew red into a blush. This had been the first time he ever remotely said anything about _loving _her and it sounded like a confession he had been holding back for such a long time. Not to mention how random it seemed. He moved a foot forward, Erza stepped back, "Well, I hate you!"

It was said in a panic and the look on Jellal's face made her want to take it back, it looked of sincere hurt. Her mind was thrown into a state of shock and confusion, she knew Jellal was the enemy and she hated him, but why did she regret saying it? Why had he been using her and toying with her if he loved her?

"I figured that." Jellal answered after a moment of tension filled silence, his blue bangs covering his eyes. It seemed his personality switched from sadistic to somewhat normal but Erza knew better than to trust him. Instead of walking towards Erza once more, Jellal turned his back to her went off towards the darkness of the alleyway. She had not expected him to walk away though. Her heart twisted in pain, full of sorrow and hurt, it was unbearable and Erza couldn't understand why it was hurting just because Jellal was leaving. That was what she wanted, right?

"Jellal, wait!" Just as she yelled after him, lightning struck in the sky above and sent a loud, destructive sounding bang of thunder throughout the air which made the warrior jump. Rain poured down, soaking everything in its path. Jellal's walking ceased, his head turned slightly to look back at Erza, his dark eyes were blank.

"You're going to catch a cold." He warn, nonchalantly. He unbuttoned his long, dark cloak and threw it to Erza, who barely caught it in time. A close-fitting, black outfit was revealed and the sleeveless shirt shown off his toned upper body. However, the attire wasn't suitable for the heavy rain that kept falling from the blacken sky, "Wear that."

She grasped on tightly to the piece of cloth as Jellal turned back around to leave. He lazily waved his hand goodbye towards Erza before he disappeared into the darkness. Her eyes darted down the trench coat, its scent smelt like Jellal but the rain was quickly washing the smell away. Being stubborn, like Erza was always, she refused the wear it but she didn't dare to throw on the wet ground. Her feet carried her back towards her small apartment, it wasn't far from where she was but the pain shooting through her feet and legs made it seem like such a long walk. She assumed that the pain was from her running from Gray had caused it.

* * *

><p>The persistent tapping on her tin roof from the rain and the smashing sound of thunder had kept Erza tossing and turning in her little, twin sized bed. Even when had been able to doze off, those horrid nightmares forced her awake with screams. She didn't mind the rain, it was just the thunder that seemed to worsen her nightmares. Eventually, the sun had came up and brought the end to the darkness and the rain. Pain pulsed through Erza's head, her hand clasped her forehead. The migraine had made Erza unable to get up from her bed and she realized her nose was stuffy, she wasn't able to breath through it either. Everything felt cold too, she nestled deeply into her covers but to no avail. Erza Scarlet was sick.<p>

After laying in bed, her cold making her uncomfortable, Erza finally decided to force her body down to the guild hall. The trek was longer than usual and once she reached the outside beer hall, she nearly collapsed onto Mirajane's bar. Thankfully, she found a stool before she was able to fall on the floor.

"Erza, you don't look so good." Lucy said with concern as she gazed at her pale, sickly looking friend, "You probably got caught in that thunderstorm last night, didn't you?"

Erza only managed a small nod, her voice too weak and shaky to form a coherent sentence. She was in no condition to do a job today with her team. Natsu even smelt her sickness all the way across the caf_é_ and immediately was at her side, he was just as concern as Lucy. It seemed Gray hadn't told her friends about yesterday and the night before, she knew she could trust him. Gray didn't join his friends who were with Erza, he remained at his table and his shirt had somehow disappeared yet again. She knew she had to apologize to Gray about the way she acted but that had to be another time, her body was too weak to move

"N-Natsu!" She hollered in surprise as her body was suddenly lifted from her seat, Natsu had picked her up. One arm held up her upper body, while the other held her legs.

"You need to get home and get some rest." Natsu ordered, refusing to listen to Erza's protests as he carried her body towards her home. Lucy and Happy followed.

Natsu used his foot to knock Erza's door open, probably breaking the lock. This was the first time Lucy had ever been to her house and the blonde was curiously examining everything with her brown eyes. The dragon slayer dropped, literally dropped her in mid-air, on her bed. She crashed down on the cushion and then looked up at Natsu with a blank stare of how carelessly he treated her sick body. The fire wizard only gave her a thumbs up and a big smile to show that she was alright. Lucy rushed over to Erza, making sure the scarlet haired warrior was cozy as she laid a clean blanket over her body. Natsu set a glass of water on her nightstand as well. Her armor vanished into her normal pajamas so she'd be more comfortable.

"Do you need anything before we go?" Lucy asked. Her teammates were now standing by her door, she really didn't want them to leave but they had to go back to Fairy Tail. Erza shook her head and thanked Natsu and Lucy as they left her home. Loneliness quickly took over as Erza laid down in her bed and held the covers close to her body.

Her vision went black, signifying that she had drifted off to sleep. Erza dreamed of the tower, like always, but this dream wasn't like usual nightmares. It was a flashback of the time she been sick and her condition kept getting worst since she was forced to work everyday. Her sickness now was nothing compared back to when it was then. Hunger and fatigued didn't help her at all either but each night Jellal had tried to take care of her. Jellal would always give her his share of food and tried to do more work to make up for Erza. After weeks had passed, Erza had grown stronger, no longer shaky or running a high fever, and her fierce cold was gone. However, Jellal had caught her same exact sickness once she had gotten better.

_"You idiot. You spent so much time helping me get better, you got sick yourself."_ Erza had once scolded, upset that Jellal had gotten sick. She couldn't help but grin in her sleep as she reminisced about the once kind, caring Jellal. She was sleeping lightly now, mostly daydreaming about her good memories during her childhood. Suddenly, a light pressure was on her forehead which caused her eyes to blink open in surprise.

"You didn't listen to me and now you're sick." Jellal's smooth, deep voice muttered in a disappointed manner. His black, gloved hand was resting on Erza's brow, "You got a fever."

As if on instinct, Erza flinched away from his hand. Her coffee, brown eyes met his with a slight panic. Erza would have requiped into her standard armor and attacked her intruder but the look in his eyes told her that he meant no harm. It seemed this time, Jellal hadn't came to Erza's home to torture but he was there for a different reason.

"I'll make sure you get better." Jellal finally said with a small, kind smile forming on his lips.

* * *

><p>AN ;; **Jellal seems to have a change of heart, maybe Erza had smacked some sense into him? But the real question is; how long is it going to last? Thanks for reading and leave a review~  
><strong>


	5. Don't Leave

**Thanks for continuing to read this story, I hope you like this chapter. The chapters before were mostly written through Erza's eyes, but during this one, I'm going to try to focus more on Jellal's side. Enjoy!  
><strong>

**Disclaimer; **I do not own **Fairy Tail**. It belongs to **Hiro Mashima.**

* * *

><p><em>Don't Leave<br>_

**x.x.x**

The heat emitting from her forehead caused him worry as did the glazed look in her eyes. Before she had grown conscious of his presence, Jellal had slid a chair from the kitchen to her bedside. Now Erza's dark, brown eyes were fixated on the blue haired man, as if she was making sure he wasn't going to do anything. She was right to be cautious of him, just as he was sitting there looking at Erza's sickly body, he had to force himself not to attack her.

_She's too weak to resist. _The devilish voice inside his head began talking once more, _This is your chance. _Ever since that faithful day in the tower, his mind was constantly at war with this inner, evil voice. However, seeing Erza again Jellal was able to control his thoughts more than usual but the inner demon still tried to take over.

Jellal had found it annoying that Erza didn't obey him and not take one of the celestial wizards keys. His plan probably won't have work, since a celestial spirit is not in fact a human, but it was worth a shot. The voice within his head had claimed Erza to become the sacrifice for the Tower of Heaven, when it was time to resurrect Zeref, and the reason Jellal shown up was to kidnap the scarlet haired warrior, but once he seen her face again ... he couldn't do that to her. That's why he wanted her to steal on of her friend's keys, thinking one of the spirits could replace Erza as a sacrifice. Even if he did explain the situation, Erza probably still wouldn't comply.

"Why are you here?" Erza demanded, a sneeze soon followed. Jellal held back a chuckle, finding it hard to take the sick warrior seriously as she tried to put up her tough act.

"I came to make sure you get better." Jellal repeated.

Pulling off his gloves and placing them on the nightstand near her bed, Jellal touch her forehead once more. She needed medicine or else her fever was bound to get worst. He left her side, walking into the kitchen in search for something to ease her cold.

"What are you looking for?" Her soft, weak voice called out but Jellal ignored her as he continued to look through her cabinets.

Most cabinets contained plates, glasses, and cups but he finally found the medicine cabinet. It was mostly empty, a few bottles of pills collecting dust. Erza probably didn't like taking medicine, which is going make things ten times harder since she most likely won't trust Jellal, of all people, to give her any kind of pills in the first place. Searching quickly through the labels, Jellal found a cough syrup for colds and was cherry flavored.

"No." Erza growled lowly, once the red haired girl noticed the spoon and bottle of medicine in Jellal's hands.

"It'll make you feel better." Jellal insisted as he poured the foul smelling liquid into the spoon and placed the container on the nightstand. Her coffee, brown eyes sharpened into a glare that signified she wasn't planning on cooperating.

"No." She repeated, "That tastes disgus-!"

Just as Erza opened her mouth, Jellal took the opportunity to shove the spoonful of medicine down her throat. She was surprised by the sudden attack, Erza didn't have time to react. Jellal replaced the spoon with his hand, covering her mouth so she didn't spit it out. Her nails dug deeply into his forearm as she attempted to pull his arm away but it was to no avail. She was forced to swallow down the medicine and Jellal released his grip, sighing in relief.

"It's disgusting!" Erza gagged, the cherry flavored was tainted by the overwhelming scent of medication and the mixture was purely awful to the tongue. She gulped down the water Natsu had placed on her bedside table earlier. The plain taste of water didn't get rid of the horrible aftertaste of the cough syrup, if anything, it only made it worst, "Ugh!"

The disgusted expressions that were being displayed on the Titania's face were quite amusing. It took about five minutes for Erza to regain her composer, the taste still haunted her mouth but it was now bearable. Sitting up in her bed, Erza changed her expression to a more serious one and narrowed her eyes towards Jellal.

"What about the '_punishment_' you were talking about earlier?" Erza asked. Obviously, she didn't want to be 'punished' for not obeying Jellal's order but she had to make sure the villain wasn't secretly plotting something while her guard was down.

"Heh, I think your cold is punishment enough." Jellal grinned.

_She'll never learn if you don't punish her,_ The sick, twisted voice in his head remarked, _Just wait until she's asleep ... _He tried to shut out the voice but it was impossible.

"Whatever." Erza grunted, sniffling as she laid back down in her bed and snuggling up with the covers.

Her slender back was facing Jellal, he felt his arm reaching closer to her body. It went towards the back of her neck, wanting to choke it tightly in his hold. As it lingered closer, the Titania's sudden turn caused him to jerk away. This did not go unnoticed by Erza as she gave him a suspicious look. He snapped out of his small trance and gave her an _innocent_ grin before standing up from his chair.

"Where are you going now?" Erza called after Jellal, the tall, dark man was heading towards her doorway.

"You need your rest," Jellal began, "I should be leaving now."

The trench coat that he lent Erza last night was hanging neatly on a coat rack beside the door, he grabbed it and slung the heavy material over his should. Just as he reached for the doorknob, Erza shouted, "Wait!"

Jellal looked back, "What?"

"Ple ... Please stay." Erza coughed. The strong, powerful Erza of Fairy Tail looked scared and lonely. Her brown eyes gazed at him pleadingly, the same way she use to look in the tower where Erza was nothing more than a frighten child. A soft sigh escaped his lips but Jellal grinned at the scarlet haired girl.

"Okay." He reluctantly accepted, heading back to the sick girl.

She had expected him to take his seat back in the chair but the Titania was taken by surprise as his crashed down onto bed, nearly crushing her legs as he rolled over her body so that he was beside the wall. Erza blinked, confused as Jellal smirked. He lazily kicked off boots to the floor and lifted the covers that guarded Erza's body. The red head was about to protest but she didn't have enough time until he wrapped his arms around her body once he found his under the blanket.

"J-Jellal!" Erza stammered, her face turning the scarlet color of her hair.

"You asked me to stay." He snickered, burying his face in the crook of her neck as he let his eyes shut. Deciding not to protest, Erza found herself falling into a dreamless sleep. Lately, the Titania noticed whenever Jellal was beside when she slept, her nightmares seemed to _vanish_.

* * *

><p>Gray Fullbuster raced through the streets of Magnolia, suddenly one of their guild members, Loke, had left Fairy Tail. The first person he reported to was Lucy, the celestial wizard seemed to had an idea where Loke might have went off to. Gray trusted her intuition but he searched through the streets from his guildmate.<p>

"Loke! Loke!" Gray shouted, no one replied. Off in the distance, he heard the fire dragon and other fairies calling out Loke's name as well.

The ice mage had noticed this part of the city was close to Erza's apartment. The scarlet haired warrior didn't know much about Loke, so she probably didn't know where he went off to, but Gray knew she would probably want to know what's going on. Going up the stairs of the brick building, Gray found himself in front of Erza's door and wrapped his hand around the doorknob, not bothering to knock. _She needs her rest_. He began to have second thoughts about interrupting Erza while she was sick.

"I'll just check up on her," Gray reassured himself, "See if she's doing any better."

He hadn't gone with Natsu and Lucy when they took her home because he was still distraught by yesterday, but he knew Erza had pride she needed to protect. She wasn't a damsel in distress, she could take care things herself. Sighing, he turned the knob and pushed the door open.

"Erza!" He greeted in a happy manner. But his friendly grin soon disappeared as his dark, black eyes rested at Erza's bed. She wasn't alone.

"Gray?" Erza inquired, drowsily as she lifted her body up to get a better view of her visitor. The figure beside her slowly began to stir, sitting up as well.

"Y-You!" Gray choked out, shakily pointing an accusing finger at the two, "What is going on!"

His panic and shock was quickly replaced by seriousness, putting both his hands together to ready an attack. It took a moment for Erza to realize what the ice creation wizard was about to do, "Stop!" She yelled as chilly mist was forming around his body and hands.

"Ice Make," He began his spell. Rage flowed rapidly through his body that he didn't even take time to think that his attack would most likely end up hitting Erza as well. All he could think about was killing the bastard who kept on making Erza cry, "Lanc-"

"I wouldn't do that." A sadistic, deep voice hissed into Gray's ear. The ice mage didn't see Jellal's fast moments, the blue haired man was at the bed and then had Gray in a choke hold in less than a second. Jellal tighten his hold, making it harder for Gray to breath.

_Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. _The voice repeated with twisted glee. Jellal chuckled as Gray began to struggle against his grip, the ice mage's hands tried to pry Jellal's arms away from his neck but Jellal was too strong him.

_Kill him._ Applying more pressure, Jellal yelled, "Die!"

"Jellal! Stop!" Erza shouted, her voice snapping him out his murderous trance. He loosen his grip on Gray and stepped back, his hair falling into his face. Erza was quickly by her friend's side, who was frantically gasping for air.

"What is going on!" Gray snapped as he regained his composer, his eyes glaring at Erza, "I though he was your _enemy_! Why is he here?"

"Gray ... I ..." It was impossible to form a sentence, her head was throbbing and her belly churned in a way that she felt like she was able to throw up.

"Well, Erza?" Gray pressed, gritting his teeth together and his fist clenched in rage. Tears began forming in the corner of her eye, normally Gray would regret causing her sorrow but he felt so betrayed.

"Gray, I ... I love him!"

* * *

><p>AN ;; **BAM! I'm debating on what should happen next, but I'll work on it as soon as I can. Thanks for reading!  
><strong>


	6. Pieces

**Hello everyone! Just so you know, I might be getting a tad bit slower with updating. I'm going to be busy with school clothes shopping and open house next week, but don't worry, I'll try to write as much as I can!  
><strong>

**Disclaimer; **I do not own **Fairy Tail**. It belongs to **Hiro Mashima.**

* * *

><p><em>Pieces<em>

**x.x.x**_  
><em>

Juvia felt bad for her beloved Gray. Even though that it was obvious that the ice mage had feelings for her newly acquired love rival, Erza, and that hurt Juvia but it pained her even more to see him so sad. The rain woman had been watching (not stalking) Gray closely for the past few weeks, ever since that faithful day she met him and was forced to battle him. While she had been observing him, not having enough courage to approach him, Juiva noticed how Gray's attention had been directed towards Erza's lately. At first, she thought it was the blonde, celestial wizard that was her rival but it seemed to be the Titania now.

When Juvia followed the fairy tail all the way to Honseka Town, she realized that was when Gray's feelings for Erza changed. Whenever that strange, evil man had shown up and was intimidating Erza, Gray had woken up. She knew then Gray was worried about her and his feelings had amplified that night, he wanted to protect her. Juvia could tell that Gray loved Erza.

Now Gray had been confronted by the same man, who tried to tried to kill him, and Erza admitted she was in love with the psychopath. The pain in Gray's dark, black eyes made Juiva's heart shatter. Juiva didn't want Gray to be unhappy. The ice creation mage than raced out of the apartment, leaving the two traitors to themselves. The rain women followed him all the way to the South Gate Park, his body collapsing down on a park bench.

"This is Juvia's chance." She whispered to herself, hiding behind a large bush near the bench. It was kind of selfish, Juvia knew that, but this was the perfect chance to win Gray's heart. To comfort him while he's heartbroken. Smacking her cheek lightly and letting out a deep breath, Juvia straighten up and approached Gray.

It didn't take long for Gray to noticed her presence, "Huh?" He was taken aback once he noticed Juvia staying beside the bench and his laying form. "You're Juvia Lockser from Phantom Lord's Element 4, aren't you?" Sitting up, Gray became cautious and alert as his eyes narrowed at Juvia. She looked the same from the time he first fought her; her blue hair was curled at the ends and she wore her dark, blue coat with the fur shawl. The rain woman wore winter clothes even though it was quite humid out.

"Yes, Juvia was. But since Phantom Lord disbanded, Juvia wants to join Fairy Tail." She said softly, poking her index fingers together in a nervous manner.

Before Gray could say anything else, she added as she took a seat quickly beside him, "Juvia can tell Gray-sama is sad. Juvia doesn't like it, Juvia wants Gray-sama to feel better."

Her dark, blue eyes gazed deeply into Gray's and a light, pink blush spread across her pale cheeks. After summoning all the courage that her body had, Juvia lend forward and embraced Gray. He blinked slowly, surprised, but he grinned and wrapped his muscular arms around the rain women. He found it a bit odd that she knew something was wrong but he just assumed it was obvious by the sorrow in his eyes.

"Thank you." He muttered, tightening his grip. _J-Juiva is in heaven!_

* * *

><p>There was a long silence after Gray stormed off, the two were unsure of what to do. The immense pain from her throbbing head had gotten worse, Erza's breathing was more rapid and irregular. Concern was displayed in Jellal's eyes as he stepped forward, nearing the sickly Erza. Stress was only going to make her cold worse. Jellal's hand directed the scarlet haired mage back to her bed. He could feel the heat of her body through her loose fitting, purple pajamas. Erza would need another dose of medicine soon. <em>Great<em>.

"I meant what I said." Erza stated after she sat down upon her bed, brown eyes were directed towards Jellal. He let out a small chuckle, pulling the covers around her body.

"You're sick and stressed out, you don't know what you are saying." Jellal remarked. That comment seemed to irk the Titania as she threw the sheets away from herself. She stood up, looming over Jellal. He had taken a seat back in the chair next to her bed, that was the only way Erza could tower over him. The blue haired man only gazed up at her with blank eyes, unfazed by her attempt to intimidate him.

"I love you, Jellal." Each time she uttered those words, it felt like it took more of the tremendous weight off her shoulders.

"No you don't." As he stood up, reaching up to Erza's level, he fiercely grabbed a hold of her small, slender shoulders. His grip tighten as he clenched his teeth, causing Erza to wince in pain._ She loves you, why not take advantage of that?_ The voice hissed in delight, Jellal tried to shut it out of his mind but it kept repeating itself.

_Why not take advantage of that? She won't refuse you.__  
><em>

"Jellal?" Her smooth, sweet voice called him out of his inner battle. His eyes snapped back down to her face, his grip loosening, beads of sweat forming on his brow. Refusing the devilish thoughts from Zeref was taking a lot out of him, it wouldn't be long until he breaks. Jellal doesn't want to hurt her but Zeref dpes.

"I always loved you, from the day I met you and now," She then added with a scowl, "Don't ever say I don't."

She back away from his hold and a sweet smile lighten her face, he returned the gesture. He somewhat wondered about her fellow guildmate but he thought he'd save that conversation for later. Bringing up that ice mage would ruin the moment. As Erza settled back down into her bed, Jellal walked to the kitchen to fetch her more cough syrup. Knowing she would resist another dose, he searched the cabinet for another kind of medicine. Sinus pills were the only other option he found. Not sure how she would reaction about taking pills, he dissolved it in a glass of water.

Returning back to the Titania's side, he noticed she was fast asleep. Her scarlet locks were sprawled out across the pillow, her lips slightly a gap as she silently breathed. His dark eyes gazed hungrily down at her beautiful features. Jellal bite down roughly on his bottom lip in an attempt to control himself. His inner voice suggesting things that caused a light shade of crimson to appear across his cheeks.

"I love you too, _Er-chan_." He muttered softly as he lowered his head closer to her sleeping form, his lips hovering over her exposed forehead, "I'm sorry about everything. I hope you will understand."

He gently kissed her brow, causing her features to move slightly but Erza continued to sleep. Jellal left the glass of medicated water on the dark, wooden nightstand before he headed towards to the door. He lingered at the threshold, looking back at Erza, but eventually left before she had a chance to wake up and stop him from leaving.

* * *

><p>The heat from the steaming bath relieved her throbbing head as Erza lowered her body into the water. She had awoken from her slumber to find herself alone, disappointment and loneliness make her heart ache. Though the hurt was soon forgotten as she gulped down the water beside her bed, only to find out it had the disgusting tang of dissolved medication. Not long after she spent about half an hour choking on the foul liquid, Erza decided to run a bath as she hoped it would soothe her cold.<p>

"I'm so sorry, Gray." Erza heard herself muttered. She shifted her body so that she was leaning against the side of the tub, her arms folded over each other on the rim. Her chin rested on her forearm and she gazed blankly at the rest of the bathroom.

It didn't take long for Erza to realize Gray's feelings for her, she knew ever since she young. The warrior would admit she felt _something_ between the two of them, but she never acted on those feelings because her mind was occupied by Jellal. Now that he was back, she knew for sure that she was in love with Jellal. Though she regretted blurting out her true emotions right in front of the ice wizard. The pure look of hurt and betrayal displayed on his face was still fresh in her mind.

It had been near the middle of the day when Gray had shown up, now the sun was slowly setting. After sitting in the hot bath, thinking about whatever wandered into her mind, she finally drained the water. Once she stepped out, Erza grabbed a towel and quickly covered her body and another for her long, scarlet hair. A familiar feeling of vulnerability returned, the silence of her small home made it worse.

The Titania tiptoed back towards her bed, holding tightly on her towel. Just as she was about to requip into her usual pajamas to get some more rest, the door burst opened. Shocking the unsuspecting warrior, Erza nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Erza!" A dark, red blush crept along her face as Erza realized it was the dragon slayer and the celestial wizard.

"Oh, s-sorry, Erza!" Lucy apologized rapidly, jumping in front of the blinking Natsu. Erza embarrassingly requiped in to her armor, feeling too uncomfortable for pajamas now.

Lucy briefly explained the situation about Loke, that he was truly a celestial spirit named Leo, the news had mildly caught Erza by surprise. She sensed Loke had always been hiding something, but nothing like that. However, the main reason that they came to talk to Erza was that Loke had given them tickets to the Akane Resort, "So, how is your cold?" Lucy inquired.

Now that she mentioned it, ever since Jellal had forced her medicine, her cold seemed to slowly dissipate. Her headache was gone, thanks to the bath, and her nose was to longer runny, "I feel much better."

"Great!" Natsu cheered, "That means you can go."

Before Natsu had complete his sentence, Erza's apartment became more cramp than usual as the enormous pile of luggage just seemed to appear out of thin air. Lucy stared in shock and jumped back out of the room, not liking the tight shape.

"Let's go." Erza grinned. It was a refreshing thought to have another vacation so soon, she hoped this would lighten the tension that was forming between her and Gray. _What about Jellal?_ Part of her wanted to find him and explain that she'll be going away on vacation, but she didn't have time to warn him. She happily followed her friends so that the rest could get ready for the trip.

* * *

><p><em>The time has come.<em>

"I guess so." Jellal frowned, it was inevitable and he knew it. He was standing on a rooftop, gazing into the window of Erza's apartment. Once they reach Akane Resort, everything will fall into place. He had tried to stop it but Zeref had too much control him, Erza was the sacrifice they needed for the Tower of Heaven.

"I'm sorry, _Er-chan_." He muttered, trying to block out the sadistic cackles deep in mind but to no avail. His frowned twisted into a malicious grin, his eyes narrowing hatefully towards the window. Zeref was in full control now ...

* * *

><p>AN ;;** I was starting to feel bad for Gray, so I added a bit of Gray x Juvia to lighten his mood. Please leave a review and thanks for reading!~  
><strong>


	7. Sunset

**Sorry for the delay, you don't understand how distracted I can get with the little free time I have x'D But thank you so much for the reviews, I love reading them! I've finally caught up with the Fairy Tail anime and hopefully I can get around reading the manga soon.  
><strong>

**Disclaimer; **I do not own **Fairy Tail**. It belongs to **Hiro Mashima.**

* * *

><p><em>Sunset<em>

**x.x.x**

The sun's sweltering rays beamed down generously upon the resort's beach. As Erza walked along the shore, sand wedging in between her feet, Erza gazed at the ocean. Waves endlessly crashed down on the shore and palm trees were scattered along the beach. The wind carried many different and interesting scents into the dragon slayer's nostrils, Natsu first move was to dive into the salty water and Lucy followed quickly behind him. Awkwardly, leaving both Erza and Gray behind, the two watched as they splashed each other with water. Erza let out a hefty sigh before breaking the silence. She didn't want any tension between her and her teammate during this vacation. Gray deserved an apology.

"Gray, I'm sorry ... about everything." Erza began. As she opened her mouth to continue speaking, Gray gave her a sincere, understanding grin.

"Listen, Erza," His hand unconsciously rubbed the back of his neck, "I don't know much about this Jellal guy but if you love him, I'll accept it. But if he ever hurts you, I won't hesitant to take him down."

Relief flooded over her body as Gray lightly touched her shoulder before he raced off to join the Natsu and Lucy. Erza smiled to herself, happy that Gray wasn't as upset as she thought he would be. How did he move on so quickly? Her coffee, brown eyes scanned the beach clearing, noticing a figure behind a palm tree and her loving gaze staring directly towards Gray. Ah, Gray had a secret admirer, that made sense. Instead of confronting the blue haired woman, Erza rushed into the ocean to join her teammates.

"Natsu!" Lucy yelped, a deep, red blush forming on her cheeks, "Put me down!"

The fire dragon had swiftly grabbed Lucy, holding her legs up with one arm while the other supported her neck. A sly grin formed on his face, "Let's see how far I can throw you."

"What? No!"

Ignoring her violent protests, Natsu tossed the key bearer in to the water and her body created a big splash as it made contact. He let out a loud, victorious chuckle but it was cut short as the blonde mage tackled him once she emerged from the water. Gray and Erza watched the scene with amused faces until they were hit with the waves the two create and were drug under.

"Hey, Natsu! Watch where you are splashing!" Gray shouted angrily on deaf ears as Natsu continued to fight with Lucy in the water, splashing her and everyone else around.

"Gray, put some swimming trunks on." Happy muttered, his little, blue body floating in the swaying water next to Gray and Erza. Her chocolate eyes peeked at what Happy had been talking about, the he-cat was right, Gray trunks had gone missing.

"H-How did that happen?" Gray growled with frustration as Erza giggled at how upset it made him, "What are you laughing at?" He accused before tackling the Titania as Lucy did to Natsu.

"Kya!" Erza let out a scream, her face turning a furious red, "Gray! Put some clothes on before you do that!"

* * *

><p>The sun was beginning to sink into the horizon, the sky turning beautiful hues of orange, purple, and red. The ice mage decided to take a break after their hectic day of play, Lucy accidentally smacking a man in the head while playing pinata and an intense match of volleyball. Unfortunately, the volleyball game was lost since Natsu and Erza made an unbeatable team. He relaxed his body on a towel, stretching his limps under the peaceful sunset.<p>

"Juvia is glad to see Gray-sama is feeling better." A voice sounded beside him suddenly, his dark eyes turning around to see the girl who had comforted him at the park earlier.

He began to wonder how she was at Akane Resort but Gray was suddenly distracted by her features. Instead of the thick, winter clothing she wore a dark, blue bikini that stood out next to her creamy, pale skin. Juvia neatly rested down beside Gray, the light from the sun making her skin glow.

"Uh, yeah." Gray muttered, snapping himself out of his trance. He brought his body up from the laying position and then gazed out towards the horizon, "Didn't you say before that you wanted to join Fairy Tail?"

"Oh, yes! Juvia would love to join Gray-sama's guild!" The rain woman chimed.

"Well, when we get back from our vacation, I'll talk to Marakov about you joining." Gray insisted.

Her crystal eyes gleamed with happiness as she jumped up with excitement, Gray couldn't help but grin. It was the least he could do for her, without the the former Phantom Lord mage Gray would probably still be sore about the whole situation with Erza. At least now he had something to distract him from the Titania, he secretly enjoy the rain women's attention.

Across the beach, Lucy settled down while eating a piece of watermelon beside Happy. The blue he-cat was playing with the sand, forming it into a castle. A good one at that. Beside the blonde, celestial wizard was Natsu and the fire dragon looked out at the sunset. Lucy cast her brown eyes towards Natsu, his gaze seemed more serious than usual. Lucy was about to open her mouth to question him but she ceased. The only time he ever looked so concentrated was when he was either thinking about Igneel or Lisanna. Either way, both were a touché subject for Natsu and she didn't want to disturbed him. After finishing the rest of her watermelon, she threw the rind to the side and stood up.

"I should probably go check up on Erza." Lucy mentioned, stretching out her arms, "Its about time we go check out the casino anyway. I'm ready to gamble!"

Happy chirped in agreement but Natsu only nodded slowly before he brought his gaze up to Lucy, the seriousness fading from his eyes. Lucy sighed in relief as he gave one of his signature grins, she didn't like it when Natsu became extremely serious outside of battle.

"What's wrong?" Natsu inquired, he had noticed Lucy's sigh.

"Oh, nothing! You just seemed down, but I guess I was just seeing things." Lucy said, frantically shaking her hands in front of her face in defense. The dragon slayer stood up, stepping forward until he was close to Lucy. He stared deeply into her eyes, a deep blush was forming on the key bearer's cheeks as their noses were nearly touching.

"Lucy?" Natsu muttered.

"Y-Yes?" She barely managed to stamper, Lucy wanted to back away from him but her legs refused to move.

"You're weird."

Lucy stomped off right after she nearly fell drastically to the ground, it frustrated her whenever Natsu would do such things. It would seem as if they were having a moment but he would ruin it with a comment like that. Exhaling a exasperated sigh, Lucy headed towards the hotel room and left a dumbfounded Natsu staring after her.

* * *

><p>Erza had left earlier from the beach than the others, hoping she could get some alone time with her thoughts. Her body was lazily sprawled out on a folding chair, dozing in the setting sun. Just as she was drifting in to a sleep, a knock on the room door snapped the Titania awake. Erza walked over and pulled the door open, revealing Lucy in the threshold. The celestial wizard was already fully dressed in a long, flowing, fancy black dress that shown quite a bit of cleavage but that was normal for Lucy.<p>

"Hey, Erza." Lucy greeted, showing off her dress to her best friend, "Everyone's ready to go down to the casino, you want to come?"

"Of course." Erza grinned, her bikini requipping into a sleek, revealing dress that was similar to Lucy's, "I'll meet you guys down there in a little bit."

Lucy nodded, smiling before leaving the room and headed downstairs by herself. Just as she was about to lock up the hotel room, Erza stopped before a mirror hanging on the wall. It was very rare for the scarlet haired warrior to ever wear such an outfit and she admired herself for a moment, posing slightly and smiling at her reflection. She lifted her arms, playfully messing with her hair that was held in a high, yet somewhat loose, ponytail.

"I feel like an idiot posing like this." Erza grumbled, letting her arms fall back to her sides.

"I think you look beautiful." A sweet, seductive voice called out from behind Erza. The Titania gazed back into the mirror, revealing Jellal standing a few feet behind her in the reflection. Suddenly conscious of herself, Erza crossed her arms and blush deeply. Clearly embarrassed that Jellal caught her admiring herself in the mirror, but she did feel overjoyed to see him again.

"Jellal, what are you doing here?" She inquired, stepping closer to her childhood friend.

"I came here to take you, _Er-chan_."

* * *

><p>AN ;; **Not much Jellal x Erza in this chapter, sorry about that but I wanted to sneak in some more Gray x Juvia and add some Natsu x Lucy. I'll try to get the next chapter done as soon as possible! Please review~  
><strong>


	8. Memories

**I'm truly sorry for the long wait, I've been busy lately since school has started but I found a little bit of time to sit down and write some more. I might be more busy as the days continue with school, so expect some slow updates, but thankfully it's my senior year! Just one more year of high school and I'm done!  
><strong>

**Disclaimer; **I do not own **Fairy Tail**. It belongs to **Hiro Mashima.**

* * *

><p><em>Memories<br>_

**x.x.x**

There was nothing but darkness. Pure, pitch black darkness shrouded the Titania's vision as Jellal uttered his last sentence, _"I came here to take you, Er-chan."_ and a twisted, sick grin formed on his face. The unexpected attack caught Erza off guard and she was quickly knocked out, unsure of what was going on. Now, her eyes slowly blinked open and she tired to reach her hand to touch her forehead, but only to find it was being held back by rope. Her wrist were tied tightly together as well as her ankles with some sort of magic that canceled out her abilities and left her unable to escape. The room Erza found herself in was dark and cold, the floor was stone and so were the walls. She was trapped behind bars, making it even more difficult to escape even if she found a way out of the rope.

"Where am I?" She muttered, helplessly to herself. Had Jellal done this to her?

As if on cue, a malicious cackle echoed throughout the room and heavy footsteps followed. Jellal's figure stood before Erza, a smug grin on his pale, tattooed face. He looked proud that he was able to capture Erza without any trouble. _Thank you for making this easy, Jellal_. Zeref's demonic voice chimed in his head and for a moment, Erza could see a bit of guilt and hurt in Jellal's eyes.

"You are in the Tower of Heaven." Jellal explained, his expression blank as he watched Erza struggle against her bounds, "It's no use, _Er-chan_, you won't be able to escape."

"Watch me." Erza hissed through gritted teeth, her fiery, brown gaze was glaring daggers towards Jellal. She knew what he said was true, it was impossible to free herself from the rope but she wasn't just going to give up.

"We'll see about that." He snickered, pausing only for a moment before continuing with a serious tone, "I'm going to need my sacrifice for the R-system and you are a perfect match."

"I knew you wanted something from me!" Erza shouted, a deep feeling of hurt and betrayal made her heart ache in pain. She thought Jellal had changed, but she was _wrong_, "I _hate_ you, I should have never trusted you."

"Now, now, Er-chan." His sick, twisted voice taunted, "You don't want to hurt Jellal's feelings do you? It took a long time for me to regain control, Jellal didn't want to hurt you."

_What?_ Blinking in confusion, Erza stared at this blue haired, darkly clothed man with her mouth slightly gaped. It made sense in a way, Jellal had been acting strange ever since he attacked her that first night. Jellal was being controlled by someone? Or was he just playing with her mind.

"Who are you?" Erza growled, her fingers secretly fumbling with the rope behind her back.

"That doesn't matter." In one swift motion, a hand connected with deadly force against the side of Erza's neck. The blow hit a certain nerve which caused her vision to blur and rapidly fade into darkness once more. _J-Jellal?_

* * *

><p>They were ambushed by a gang of strangers that claimed they knew Erza. Natsu, Lucy, Juvia, and Gray were all attacked and beaten by the surprise. Happy was took by a girl that resembled a cat and the stellar spirit mage was attacked and tied up by the cat-girl but was cut free by one of the resort visitors within a card, who was trapped by another mysterious member of the gang. Lucy began to search for the others, quickly finding Gray and the rain woman from Phantom.<p>

"Dammit!" Natsu growled darkly, his body emerging from the rubble. The group of strangers had seemed to be in search for Erza and as soon as they heard she was _caught_, they immediately took their leave, "How dare that block man shoot me in the mouth! That hurt like a bitch!"

Just as Lucy was about to explain the situation to Natsu, the fire dragon raced out of the casino with a look of fiery rage in his eyes. The blond stared dumbfounded as her companion raced off, it seemed he didn't noticed that Happy went missing too.

"Let's follow him." Gray ordered, heading toward the exit for the fire mage.

"But he doesn't even know where he's going!" Lucy said.

"He has a nose better than any animal." The ice creation mage reassured, grinning at Lucy with a wink of his eye. The celestial mage felt daggers in her skin as Juvia stared hatefully at her.

"Love... Rival..." She hissed just before Lucy dashed off to catch up with Gray, Lucy didn't really understand what the former Phantom Lord member meant but it frightened her.

They followed the fire dragon slayer, his nose led him towards the shore and they quickly hitched a ride on a small boat. Gray was clearly disappointed as he realized they were drifting off to nowhere and Natsu couldn't lead to way anymore since he was clinging over the side, sick.

"Are you sure it's around here?" Lucy inquired with a slight worry, they had to find Erza as soon as possible before anything bad happened her. She knew the Titania could take care of herself but with an ambush like this, she wasn't sure if her friend was alright. Not to mention, they stole Happy as well and the blue cat was nearly defenseless.

"To think, a great mage as Erza was defeated ..." Juiva muttered.

Clenching his fist tightly, anger surging through his body, Gray stood up and glared down at the rain woman, "There was no way Erza was defeated, you don't know anything about her!"

"Gray, calm down!" Lucy warned. Juvia apologized quickly, fear in her blue eyes at the sudden change in Gray's personality. His reaction made it obvious that Erza was more important to him than Juvia in her mind, she flinched a little with a hint of sorrow in her blue eyes but didn't say anything else.

They drifted onward, the salty air of the sea began to burn Lucy's nostrils and the sky was darkening, signifying an approach of a storm. Casting her gaze ahead, Lucy spotted something in the distance. It appeared to be a desolated island with a single, looming tower. The celestial wizard noticed a twitch of Natsu's nose, he seemed to have picked up a stronger trail of Erza's scent.

"Why are they at this tower?" Lucy questioned aloud to no one in particular. The ice mage only shrugged, his dark eyes filled with determination.

"Whatever the reason, we will save Erza."

* * *

><p>Their tiny bodies shook violently as the large, muscularly built guard loomed over the six children. A spear gripped tightly in his fist, pointing threateningly towards the kids. They had attempted to escape once more from this tower of <em>hell<em>. However, like past missions, it ended in failure and soon to be punishment. The tip of the weapon pointed at each individual, landing on Sho, Erza, Jellal, Wally, Simon, and Millianna. It paused slightly at each person, they waited agonizingly for the spear to choose it's victim but it repeated the cycle after it landed on the last person.

"Listen, kids," He began, after drawing back his weapon but a sadistic grin appeared on his smug face, "Why don't you guys tell me who the mastermind of the plan was? If you do, the rest of you kids get off with a slap on the wrist."

An eerie silence settled between them, their round, fearful eyes gazing at each other as they were unsure of what to do. Sho's body trembled the most but his mouth remained shut, he didn't have to courage to take the blame for his failed escape plan. Large tears formed around his eyes but he still said nothing. Sorrow welled within Erza's heart as she watched her friend in such a terrified state, Sho wasn't strong enough to survive the punishment. In a quick mental decision, Erza decided she was going to take the blame for Sho's sake.

"I ..." Her meek voice began but was quickly interrupted.

"I did it!" Jellal's voice spoke, he stood and gazed fiercely into the guard's eyes. Erza blinked in surprise and the rest was taken aback by Jellal's sudden confession.

"Tch, is that so?" His black, soulless eyes scanned the children again but it lingered on Erza. He stepped forward and grabbed her roughly by the shoulders, "It was the girl, wasn't it?"

"No! It wasn't Erza, it was me!" Jellal called out in panic, but to no avail. Erza's body was dragged off by the guard, she was uncontrollably shaking even though she wasn't cold. All she could do was smile softly towards Jellal and her friends as best she could.

"D.. Don't worry about m.. me." She reassured her friends but the unevenness of her voice betrayed her words, "I.. I'll be fine."

_I.. I'll be fine.._ Erza reassured herself as she sat within the darkness of her prison cell in the tower, memories of the past flooding into her mind as tears rolled down her cheeks.

* * *

><p>AN ;; **Sorry if that seemed kinda rushed but unfortunately school has been getting the best of me, I have to sign up for the SATs and scholarships. Excuses, I know, but I'll try to get the next chapter up soon as I can. Thanks for reading and leave a review if you will!  
><strong>


	9. Captured

**Sorry for the long wait for a new chapter, I've been busy and such like I said in the previous one. But please enjoy!**

**Disclaimer; **I do not own **Fairy Tail**. It belongs to **Hiro Mashima.**

* * *

><p><em>Captured<em>

**x.x.x**

She didn't knew what was going on, her body was trembling with cold and pure fear. The tight rope cut at her wrists but Erza kept rubbing it against the stone wall, hoping to break free. It had been almost seven hours since her abduction and Jellal hadn't visited since their last encounter. The sinister look displayed in his eyes signified that the Jellal she knew, the Jellal that she was in love with, was dead and this new being had took over. She felt so stupid for trusting him, scum like that couldn't be trusted, but she had a slim light of hope that the real Jellal would come back.

The echoing of footsteps had caught the Titania off guard, her entire body jerked with fear and her brown eyes dilated like a deer in headlights as she scanned the dark area for the person who entered the room. A familiar presence had calmed her nerves but the panic return once she realized who it was. Jellal stepped forward, his gloved hands resting on the bars as his blank, emotionless eyes gazed at Erza.

"I'm sorry ..." The words came out in a barely audible whisper, it seemed as if Jellal was more sane than last time.

"If you're so sorry, then let me go." Erza growled through clenched teeth, her hands still rubbing against the wall but at a more slower pace so that it wasn't as noticeable.

"I can't do that." He muttered, "I've come to far to back down now. I hope you can forgive me, Erza."

The warrior only snorted, rolling her eyes in a hateful fashion. She wasn't going to believe this liar's words, there was no way she was ever going to forgive this bastard. He has caused nothing but pain and now he's going to sacrifice her body for the R-system, and he expects her to forgive him?

"Don't get your hopes up, but I have something you may like to know." Jellal spoke up after a brief moment of tension filled silence, "It's your friends had arrived and their causing quite a bit of trouble downstairs."

"Natsu!" Erza called out, her voice almost squeaking in excitement. She quickly coughed to hide it but Jellal noticed her glimmer of happiness. He felt his heart cringed in pain as he saw her eyes light up. _Natsu's our enemy_. _We must destroy him_. Zeref's voice rung in his head, _Your jealousy is painfully obvious, my friend_.

"However," He said, after regaining his composer, "The council is planning on firing Etherion, to destroy the Tower of Heaven and there isn't much time left. All I can say is, your friends better hurry if they think they are going to play hero."

His boot clad foot kicked against the metal bars, anger present in his once calm eyes. Just as Jellal was taking his leave, he paused and turned his head back towards his prisoner, "I'm not sure who this Natsu guy is but if you ever say anything about him again, I will personally kill him myself."

On that dreadful note, he stomped off and left Erza somewhat confused. She quickly shook off her worries and continued working on the rope, faster than before.

* * *

><p>Pushing through the first set of guards was easy, they were no match for the Fairy Tail mages. Once they cleared the entrance area of the passage that Juvia found underwater, a door creaked opened as if inviting them forward. It was quite suspicious but they didn't have much of a choice.<p>

Like usual Natsu darted off quickly, without thinking as he searched for his captured companion, Happy. Which left Lucy, Gray, and Juvia alone in this strange tower. The celestial wizard attempted to led the group towards where she believe that Natsu went but their short journey ended within a dinning hall.

The dinning hall stretched out wide with a long, wooden table directly in the middle covered in a red clothe and lined with plenty of food. The stone walls created echoes as their footsteps approached the table to examine it further. They had no intentions of eating any of the food, of course, but just to be safe they looked for any sort of trap.

"There's nothing here." Juvia pointed out, her ocean blue eyes flickering every second from the table to Gray and back.

"We have to find Erza, soon." Gray growled from deep within his throat, causing Juvia's expression change into concern. A pink blush spread across her cheeks as she tiptoed forward to place a comforting hand on Gray's shoulder ... but a booming voice from across the dinning hall made her jump and turn her attention towards the source of the sound.

"It seems you all have made it." A large man causally walked towards the Fairy Tale mages. A cloth covered his scalp with an eye-patch resting upon his right eye. There was also a strange metal underlining his jaw. Gray instantly recongized the strange man from the hotel and raised his fist in a defense position and readying his magic.

"Wait, Gray-sama, please." Juvia called out, lowing the ice mage's hands, "Back at the resort, he spared our lives." Calming down, Gray rested his arms back to his sides but his scowl didn't leave his face nor did his eyes leave the stranger's.

"What's your name?" Lucy inquired with caution. Her instinct was the same as Gray's, not wanting to trust so easily as Juvia did.

"Simon." He answered simply, "Please, help me save Erza."

* * *

><p>After hours of scrapping her raw wrist against the stone, a satisfying snapping sound had signified that Erza was finally free from the rope. A wave of relief flooded through her as she quickly untangled the binds around her ankles. <em>Then I need to requip and break through out of the cell and find Natsu and the others ...<em>

Suddenly the echoes of footsteps made her blood run cold. _He's coming!_ Forcing herself to stay calm, Erza cramped herself into the corner with her ankles locked together and her hands behind back to make it appear that she was still tied up. As soon as she heard the footsteps, Jellal peered through the bars and gazed at Erza. From the lucid look in his eyes, Erza could tell that he managed to take control over Zeref, but for how long?

"It's seems our old nakama has betrayed me." Jellal muttered, though the calmness in his voice had shown that he was expecting this to happen, "They rallied up with Simon and are searching for _Natsu_ as we speak." As he uttered the dragon slayer's name, a scowl appeared on his face and he gritted his teeth.

"It seems luck is on my side." Erza grinned. However, she quickly replaced her smirk with a frown, attempting not to appear too cocky so she wouldn't arouse suspicion.

"Hmph." Jellal grunted softly. His hands reaching for his waist to unclasp the keys from his belt. Erza's expression changed to shock as he began to unlock her prison cell, "I though I would keep you company, Er-chan. Your friends won't make it up here anytime soon ..."

Jellal's voice trailed off as he stepped closer to Erza, realizing her binds were no longer there. Just as she was about to use her magic to requip her armor, Jellal pushed himself up against Erza and slamming her back into the wall. Erza tried to concentrate on her magic once more but the look in Jellal's eyes made her freeze. Those eyes always made her feel helpless and vulnerable.

"You know, I can't let this go unpunished."

* * *

><p>AN ;; **Not sure when the next chapter will come, but if you are still reading this; I appreciate your patience! But I will try to finish this story, it won't be anytime soon but I will try to finish it.  
><strong>


	10. Mine

**Here's another chapter! I've been in the mood for writing lately so that's why this update is quicker than my other recent ones. But I hope you enjoy!~**

**Disclaimer; **I do not own **Fairy Tail**. It belongs to **Hiro Mashima.**

* * *

><p><em>Mine<em>

**x.x.x**

The pressure of his body so close to her's gave Erza a strange feeling of security. She was use to his harassment but a pink blush still crept along her pale cheeks. Jellal pressed closer, his layered clothing against her thin dress. His head rested upon her shoulder, nuzzling his nose into her neck. Her mind flashed back to the day she was sick and how she plead for him not to leave and how they laid in bed together. _I love him ... I loved him._ Tears threatened to fall from her dark colored eyes but she resisted it, not wanting Zeref to see her weak. Jellal's lips gently pressed against the skin of Erza's neck, sending chills down spine. She had let out a small, involuntary whimper which caused Jellal to smirk.

"Jellal ... please stop." Erza managed to mutter out but her pleas were ignored. Her face became warmer and her knees grew weaker. She wish she could have blamed her body's reaction on some sort of magic he was using but Erza was just simply ... _enjoying_ his kisses along her neck.

Just as the Titania's guard was let down, a sharp pain pierced are neck as teeth grinned against the soft skin of her throat. Instinctively, her nails dug into Jellal's shoulders and attempted to push him away but his grip was too strong to pull away without ripping part of her skin off. As Jellal's teeth dug deeper into her neck, Erza let out a scream of pain. After what seemed like hours but was only a few seconds, the intense pressure released off her neck and her body slid down against the wall and to the floor. Her panicked eyes gazed up at Jellal in fear. A thin line of blood ran down his chin.

"I'm sorry about that, Erza." He barely whispered, kneeling down to her level, "But I had to remind you that you are _mine_."

He lend forward again, causing Erza to flinch and her body to tremble violently. The expected pain never came as his face drew near her neck once more but she felt his tongue glide across the wound. The warm touch melted away the pain but did not drown her fear. Pulling away, Jellal cupped her cheek with his gloved hand and stared into her eyes. Sorrow was present in his brown eyes but Erza couldn't figure out why. Erza could tell this was Jellal's actions, not Zeref's. He was showing her, in some strange way that Erza could understand, that he still loved her and that he still wanted her to be his. She felt the wound on her neck with her hand. The light blush on her face grew darker, which made Jellal smile as he placed his hand over hers, "You'll be mine forever. Not Zeref's, _mine_. I'll try to find a way for you to get out of this situation but you must be patient." He whispered in her ear, as if he was trying to not let the dark mage within his body hear. Erza nodded, kissing the side of his cheek.

"However, Erza," He spoke up, standing up and gazing down at his prisoner, "That wasn't your punishment."

"W-What do you mean?" Erza blinked, remembering her unfortunate situation once more.

"Your friends will die." Jellal bluntly stated, his eyes turning dark and emotionless like before, "Ikaruga, Vidaldus Taka, and Fukuro."

As soon as he stated those names, three figures appeared out of the darkness. The color drained from Erza's face. _How long have they been there!_ The one known as Ikaruga was very curvaceous woman, revealing her skin with a long flowing white kimono. Her hair was the color of sakura petals and was tied on the top with two buns. The second person was very strange looking; with white, pale skin, long black hair, and tons of makeup on his face. The last had freaked Erza out the most, it was a very large, muscular man but the only odd thing about him was that his head was that of an owl's. She scanned each individual, unsure where she had heard these name's before.

"They belong to an assassin guild, they are known as Trinity Raven." Jellal explained. She had heard of dark assassin guilds before, knowing Trinity Raven was one of the most ruthless.

"What a hot babe you got there, hope you don't mind sharing." The metal musician, known as Vidaldus Taka, sneered as his tiny black eyes gazed hungrily towards Erza.

In a swift movement, Vidaldus was pinned up against the wall, Jellal's forearm slammed into his throat and held there, "Be careful what you say, I'll kill you if you ever say anything like that again." Jellal growled in a territorial manner as Vidaldus gasped for air, his teammates not even moving a muscle to help their comrade. Jellal released the assassin, stepping back towards Erza's cell and gazed upon Trinity Raven.

"We have intruders, kill everyone." He ordered. As those word left Jellal's mouth, the assassins vanished.

A small chuckle escape from Erza's lips, causing Jellal to turn and give her somewhat of a questioning stare. The fiery determination that the Titania was known for returned to her dark, brown eyes, "My friends won't lose to such lowly assassins. They are here to save me!"

"We'll see about that." His voice was flat and his blue hair hung over his eyes, "The time for the ritual is almost here, _Er-chan_."

"_Zeref_." Erza hissed, her hands clenching together into fists. The twisted grinned forming on Jellal's face had confirmed what she said, Zeref had regained control. He stepped closer but Erza didn't back away, she stood her ground and stared hatefully at Jellal ... no, at _Zeref_.

"Are you ready, Er-chan?" He taunted, brushing his fingers against her cheek and smiling even wider as he gazed down at the wound on her neck, "You know, that will form into a scar. You'll be ours forever."

"You wish. It's from Jellal, not you." Erza snarled, slapping Zeref's hand away in disgust, "I have a proposition to make with you."

"Oh, really?" There was a slight curiosity within his voice. She knew he couldn't be trust to ever hold an end to a deal but Erza was growing desperate as time was running out. Not only did she have to worry about the time of the sacrifice, but also the chance of the council firing Etherion upon the tower at any second, "I'm listening."

"If you promise not to hurt any of my friends and will let Jellal free from your control, I won't cause you any trouble and I'll be sacrificed willingly." Erza stated. A surprised and somewhat interested look appeared across Jellal's face. He stood there for awhile, his brown eyes scanning the area as if he was deep in thought. The anticipation was almost driving Erza mad but she kept her composer and stood confidentially as she awaited Zeref's answer.

"Even though I do like it when you struggle," Zeref's voice finally answered with a sly grin, "But time is of the essences and I'm not in the mood for you playing hero. I will free your precious Jellal from my control and your friends will be safe from me, however, the assassins are another story."

"But- !" Erza was quickly silenced by a finger placed on her lips.

"Is it a deal or not?"

" ... Yes." Erza answered.

* * *

><p>This tower was like an endless maze, twisting corridors that led into circles and he would always find himself lost. There was no way Gray could find Erza in time and frustration was eating at him. The ice creation mage had split up the group, leaving Lucy and Juvia to go one way and Natsu and Simon the other. The fire dragon was always reluctant and protesting to follow Gray's orders, but even Natsu knew what sort grave situation this was. Not too long ago the mastermind behind this whole operation, Jellal, had announced his plans other some strange loud speaker. Explaining they only had minutes until Erza was sacrificed or Etherion was fired. Either way, things weren't looking good.<p>

"Dammit!" Gray cursed aloud in anger, his fist colliding into the wall. He felt his heart ache at the thought of Erza being killed. He knew she was strong but somehow that Jellal guy had control over her. His feelings for the Titania were still present, he could feel it. Juvia's affection for him was obvious but he couldn't help think that he would be settling for the rain woman if he didn't fight for Erza's feelings.

"I'll save you, Erza. I swear it." Gray growled as he pressed forward.

* * *

><p><em>Not long ago, Fairy Tail had received new member. It was a small, young girl with tattered clothes and scarlet hair. She had found her way into the guild and looked pitiful but her gazed held a strong and determined look. Marakov had let joined as she knew an old friend of his. She was known as Erza Scarlet and she wouldn't speak to anyone. She would just sit in the corner, by herself. This frustrated Gray.<em>

_"What's her problem?" Gray inquired, his black eyes glaring towards the new girl._

_"Erza? I don't know. She doesn't talk to anyone." Cana answered as she sorted out her cards in an attempt to read Gray's future._

_"Pft. She's annoying."_

_Gray would pick countless fights with the girl but only to be beat in a humiliating manner. The elder members of Fairy Tail would pick on him, saying he had a crush on Erza. Which would enrage Gray even more._

_One late afternoon, the ice mage was searching for Erza, this time he was sure he would beat her. After not finding her inside the guild, he walked around town until he came across stream and saw a sitting figure gazing crouching alone. As he approached closer, he recognized it to be Erza. A smirk came across his face. If he were to catch her off-guard, he would surely beat her._

_"Hey, Erza!" Gray called out, racing down the hill towards her, "This time, I will beat you!"_

_She turned her head, tears streaming down her face. Erza quickly wiped them from her only good eye and glared towards the now frozen Gray. His face was contorted with confusion and concern._

_"Fine, let's fight." She sighed, her sorrow that was from before now gone._

_'W-Why are you crying?" Gray managed to stamper out._

_"I-It's none of your business." She muttered, averting her eye to the ground. He felt an aching feeling within his chest as he saw her clearly painful expression. Unsure of what to do, the ice mage stepped forward, ignoring Erza's confused look as he drew near, and gently embraced her. His grip around her grew tighter as she returned the hug._

_"You don't have to be alone anymore, you're with Fairy Tail."_

* * *

><p>AN ;; **Sorry if the last portion of the chapter was very similar to the manga/anime up until the last part, but I thought that scene was cute and I had to include it! Please leave a review~  
><strong>


	11. I Love You

**I decided to update before my exams come around and I won't be able to write at all. So enjoy.  
><strong>

**Disclaimer; **I do not own **Fairy Tail**. It belongs to **Hiro Mashima.**

* * *

><p><em>I Love You<br>_

**x.x.x**

It was nearly seconds before Etherion would be fired down up the tower. Erza stood on the roof, her hand bound behind her back and a hand placed on her shoulder guided her towards the center. Jellal had already explained Etherion true purpose, it was to destroy the tower but to charge up enough magical energy to activate the R-system. He allowed her to requip from her tattered black dress, to her normal armor since she was willing to become a sarcifice. The dark, hateful look in Jellal's eyes had told her Zeref was in complete control and that _her_ Jellal wasn't coming back anytime soon. She would be dead before he would be released from Zeref's grip.

Above in the darkening sky, a large amount of magic gathered towards the canon that was around their heads. Erza's face shown no emotion, her dark brown eyes gazing blankly ahead as she awaited her destiny. The light grew more intense and illuminated the darkness. Five seconds remained. Even though Erza's face was unreadable, her mind was flashing back to her memories. From time in the tower during her childhood to when she was reunited with Jellal and went to Akane Resort with her guildmates. She felt a sense of guilt, her nakama knew nothing of her troubles except Gray. She didn't want to burden Natsu and Lucy but she should have known the truth would have revealed itself sometime or another.

"It is time." Zeref spoke nonchalantly, taking his guiding hand off her shoulder.

Erza glanced up at the sky, Etherion's swelling magical power suddenly released and forced it's way down towards the tower. She felt her heart skip a beat, even though she knew the blast wouldn't kill her but the sight of all that magic awake fear in her body. The intense beam crashed down creating a cloud of thick dust everywhere. Blinded and scared, Erza resisted the urge to stand closer to Jellal for comfort. It's was Zeref now, not Jellal.

Just as the clouds of dust appeared, it soon dissipated and revealed the Tower of Heaven's true form. All the stone pillars were turned into a hard, solid crystal. It was pure lacrima, crystalline magic. The powerful feeling was almost overwhelming and Erza almost had to struggle to breath, she looked over towards Jellal. Zeref's signature twist grin was plastered on his face with his blue hair covering his eyes.

"Finally! The time has come!" He cackled, reaching his arms up towards the sky. His darkened gaze was directed towards Erza, "Now it's time for your sacrifice."

Erza only nodded, her face never betraying the sudden regret of agreeing to end her life. She was doing this for Jellal, the _real_ Jellal, that was all the justification she needed to go through with this.

"Your body will be fused with the lacrima. It will be broken down and reconstructed as my new body ... and then Jellal will be free." Zeref explained, his normal creepy, evil gaze was serious and urgent.

Lifting one hand, a thrust of magical energy forced Erza's body to the lacrima. Her facial expression didn't change but salty tears ran furiously down her cheeks. Squeezing her eyes shut, she silently sobbed as her body was being dragged inside the lacrima crystal. _I hope we get to see each other again, Jellal_.

"Erza!" She heard her name being shouted across the clearing but she still kept her eyes screwed shut, not wanting any false hope. But she felt herself being tugged away from the crystal that was absorbing her body. Blinking slightly, Erza could see a blurry figure looming around her. A mass of messy black hair and flesh. _...Gray?_

* * *

><p>"It's going to be okay, Erza." The dark-haired, shirtless ice mage whispered words of comfort but from the glassy and dazed look in her eyes, he could tell the lacrima had token a large amount of her magic. If he had only been a few seconds later, it would have been too late. His black eyes glared hatefully at the man before him. His expression uninterested and frowning.<p>

Just before Gray had reached the top of the tower, there was seconds to spare until Etherion was fired. While running into the fire dragon, Gray told Natsu to take Lucy and the others to safety. Being Natsu, the fire mage refused and hatred displayed on his eyes as he wanted revenge for Erza. "I love Erza. I should be the one to save her." Gray had said. Natsu was about to open his mouth to spit out something insulting but the determination displayed in Gray's eyes changed Natsu's mind. The fire dragon had warned that if Gray didn't save Erza, he'll kill Gray. The ice-creation wizard wasn't afraid of Natsu's threat (only slightly), he refused to lose against Jellal.

"How dare you do this to her!" Gray growled after he set Erza softly down on the ground, his attention turned towards Jellal.

"You know, she had made a deal with me." Jellal's voice seemed different but Gray didn't understand why, "She told me she would fully accept being a scarifice just to save her friends and Jellal. But ... I didn't really plan on keeping that promise anyway."

In a blink of an eye, Jellal's body lunged forth to attack Gray. Gray quickly moved his arms to protect his face but a sharp, powerful blow hit his stomach and sent him flying backwards. Skidding across the crystal floor, Gray slammed his hands together, "Ice-Make: Lance!"

Ice formed into the shape of lances, extended forward in an attempt to impale Jellal. The pillars of ice came crashing down upon the man's body but as the dust cleared, he was gone except for his trenchcoat. _Dammit_. Gray mentally cursed himself but as soon as he twisted his head to look around, an fist collided into his back and sent him flying across the top floor once more. Gray coughed up some blood as he tried to bring himself up from the ground. Golden light danced around him, he assumed that was apart of Jellal's abilities. Heavenly magic. His body was covered in the golden light that which made him extremely fast.

"Die!" Jellal yelled as he came crashing down upon Gray from the sky. His fist creating a crater in the lacrima. The smoke from the impact vanished almost instantly, revealing a tattered body, "It's a shame. I would have rather killed the dragon slayer. He would have been a better match than some creation mage."

"I thought you loved her!" Gray managed to yell, his voice cracking slightly, "If you love her, why are you going to kill her! I don't know what's going on, but I know _real_ Jellal that Erza loves wouldn't do this to her."

"Quit your useless babbling." Jellal snapped, raising a hand. Magic charging in his palm for what looked like was going to be a final blow, "The _real_ Jellal is dead. I, Zeref, is now in full control and whenever I get my new body, this one will break down into nothingness. Now die."

"S-Stop!" Standing over Gray's limp body, Erza protectively stood in front of him. She was clearly weak from the loss in magic, her limbs shaking uncontrollably but her brown, fierce eyes shown strength, "I can't let you do this. Jellal I know you can hear me!"

"It's useless." As he hand grew brighter, Jellal aimed it towards Erza, "I'll kill you too, you're too much of a distraction."

The light exploded from Jellal's hand and Erza braced herself for impact, hoping her body would stop Gray from being killed but this kind of blast seemed too powerful. _I'm sorry._ Just as the magic begin closing in on Erza, it stopp abrutly. She looked back to Jellal, his other hand clasping roughly on his other to cease the attack. The magic died down and Jellal hands gripped his head tightly, "I won't let you kill her!"

"J-Jellal?" Erza muttered, worry creasing over her face. Stepping forward with caution, Erza stretched out her hand and lightly grasped one of his gloved hands clenching his head. The ice-creation mage behind the two watched them with ragged breaths of exhaustion. A tinge of jealous stabbed his heart but he knew Erza loved Jellal, even if there was a monster inside of him. The only one would could defeat Zeref now was Erza. The scarlet-haired warrior gently moved his hands and cupped his cheeks, "Jellal, I love you. I'll do whatever I can to rid you of that ghost."

"Erza." She brought his face closer to hers, placing her lips gently on his. Jellal returned the gesture, applying more pressure on her beautiful, red lips.

"Tsk." Gray sharply turned his head away from the scene but couldn't help give a small smile, he was glad Erza was finally happy.

_Boom!_ A loud, booming sound echoed throughout the sky and light began bursting out from the lacrima. Large amount of crystal began cracking from the light penetrating the surface and started falling apart. The Tower of Heaven was self-destructing. Heavy, thick clouds of smoke began to crowd the air and cover the glowing moon.

"W-What's going on!" Gray called out, trying to steady his weakening body on the crumbling surface.

"The Tower of Heaven is very unstable due to all the magic in one concentrated area, it's going to explode and destroy everything in it's path." Jellal explained, his arms wrapped around Erza.

"Wait! I have an idea." Erza said, pushing away from Jellal's embrace, her chocolate, brown eyes red from tears and a fragile smile on her bruised face, "If I fuse my body with the lacrima, it shoulder stable it, right?"

Before Jellal or Gray could say anything, the Titania raced off through the cracking crystal floor. Jumping from platform to platform, Erza disappeared through the falling tower, "No, Erza! You can't do this!"

* * *

><p><em>I have to do this for my friends. For Jellal.<em> If she didn't sacrifice herself, the tower would explode and destroy everything she loved. Losing her body for the sake of her loved ones was a small price to pay. Her feet rest on a platform that was created from the floors falling apart, it stood only from the support of at least three pillars. There was a large chunk of lacrima before her. The crystal reflected her image. Her beloved armor was dented and the cloth was completely ripped, her scarlet hair was a mess and eyes red and swollen from the constant tears. _This is it_. Her small, slender, hand was placed on the shell of crystal lacrima. It had began to liquify to her touch. Ripples spread throughout the surface and her pressed her hand further inside. Thankfully the lacrima was still accepting her. Pain began to shoot up arm and through her chest but she ignored it and pushed her body more inside of the crystal.

"Erza!" It was Gray. He was pushing his body to the limit but he continue to jump from the rumble and land to Erza's side, "I can't let you do this!" He yelled, grabbing her free arm.

"No! Everyone will die if I don't!" Erza snapped, trying to yank her arm away but Gray used the rest of his strength to force Erza away from the lacrima. They both fell onto the ground, Gray's body was unable to move due to his weakened state. The Titania glared at him for trying to stop her, but the soften look on his face changed her expression to concern.

"A world without Erza isn't a world I want to live in." Gray muttered, his usual grin appearing on his face, "I think everyone thinks the same."

"Gray." Those damn tears started again, pouring down from only one eye, "It shouldn't end like this!"

"I know, Erza." He muttered, "I know."

"Erza." Jellal? The Titania turned her head, he was standing behind her. Erza sat up as much as she could but her legs felt too weak to stand, she wanted so badly to embrace him before they all died, "It doesn't have to end like this."

"W-What do you mean?" Jellal took a few steps backwards, towards the crystal. The same liquifying effect occur as his body touch the lacrima, "No! You can't die!" With all her might Erza tried to stand, tried to run to Jellal, tried to stop but her legs refused to move.

"It's alright, Erza. If I sacrifice myself, Zeref won't be reborn, his mind will just be absorbed inside the lacrima." Jellal explained, a sincere smile on his face.

"No! Jellal, I love you. I don't want you to leave me!" Erza cried out, agony tearing at her heart. She reached out her arms, her hand trying to stretch towards Jellal. He lightly touched the tip of index finger but pulled his hand away, turning his head away. His body was trembling now, she couldn't see his eyes but a gleam of light signified that tears were falling from his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Erza. I love you, too. But what the ice mage said was right. A world without Erza isn't a world I want to live in." Looking back at the woman his loved, tears running freely down from his face, "I'm sorry for the pain I put you through, you deserved so much better."

"Don't leave me." She continued to cry, she was growing more and more weak. Exhaustion was hitting her body hard, her arms felt weak and had dropped to her sides, Erza had to force herself from collapsing as Jellal spoke with her. The smaller explosion from the tower keep going off in the background, it was long until the whole thing blew up.

"I promise, Erza, one day I will see again." Jellal said, all but his face was now engulfed inside the lacrima, "One day, I'll see you again. I promise."

"Jellal!" With the rest of strength, Erza shouted his name as Jellal fully disappeared inside the crystal, his body gone. An intense, bright light blinded her and an insanely strong gush of wind swopped her body away. She didn't fight it and let the current carry her body. She didn't know where Gray had gone but nothing mattered at the moment, all she wanted to do was sleep.

* * *

><p>Waking up to nothing but darkness, Erza had to strain to open her eyelids. Above her was a dark sky and a bright, illuminating moon. Only able to move her head, Erza turned to see her friends. There were on a shore, small waves were touching her feet. The fire dragon was the first to see that Erza had finally awoken, he called out her name and the rest of her nakama looked back at her, joy spread across all their faces. Even the rain woman she barely knew seemed excited that she was alright.<p>

"Erza! I'm so glad you're alive!" Lucy cried, lifting Erza body up so she could hug her. It felt painful, yet soothing as Lucy's grip tighten.

"Of course, she's still alive." Natsu said, crossing his arms.

Erza's eyes scanned the clearing in search for Gray. His was also near the water of the shore, Juvia stayed by his side instead of greeting Erza. His eyes were still closed but there was a slight rise and fall off his chest. Looking up, she noticed the tower was no more and the power from Etherion was sucked back up into the air.

"Natsu and I were so worried about you." The blue cat, Happy, muttered as he joined to hug Erza with Lucy. Natsu didn't say anything, but turned his head abruptly as Erza's gaze rested on him. She gave a weak smile, trying to hold back her tears. Everyone was alright ... except for Jellal.

_He sacrifice himself just for me. He saved everyone._

"Thank you." Erza muttered inaudibly as Lucy and Happy continued to cry loudly as the hugged her even tighter.

.

.

.

_"One day, I'll see you again. I promise."_

* * *

><p><strong>AN** ;; After watching some more of the anime (S-Class Mage Trials), I've realized Zeref isn't as sadistic as I portrayed him in this story. I started writing before the anime was that far D :

Anyway, the end. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I thank everyone for their support and reviews!~ I love reading every single review, it makes me so happy! I might after my exams write a little epilogue or a oneshot after this chapter. And maybe, one day, I might make a sequel, it depends.

Thank you for reading!


	12. Oneshot: Sunkiss Morning

**Here's a short, little one-shot! It doesn't really have anything to do with my story but I thought I'd write something extra.  
><strong>

**Disclaimer; **I do not own **Fairy Tail**. It belongs to **Hiro Mashima.**

* * *

><p><em>Sunkiss Morning<em>

**x.x.x**

Most of the time Erza was always awake before the sun and was ready for another adventure before the birds began to sing. However, this time the Titania was still snuggled in her small sized bed, she held on to the thin blankets desperately as she felt the breeze underneath her covers. The window was left open, she must have forgotten to close it! Still having the blankets wrapped around her body, Erza lift her arms to securely shut the window and successfully stopping the chilly wind. Laying back down, Erza shifted and turned away from the wall. The wall was still a cold area and her body searched for more heat. Cuddling closer, Erza had found a large source of warmth and pressed herself against it. It was hard and smooth and very warm. The scarlet-haired warrior brought her hands up against the heat source and ran across it features with her fingers. The object gave of a shiver. _A shiver?_

Erza's chocolate eyes bolted opened and stared in horror at the figure before her. Deep, dark blue locks of hair cover most of his face as the man laid on his back with closed eyes. The slow rise and fall of his chest signified that he was asleep. She instantly recognized it was Jellal from the azure hair and the tattoo that covered half of his face.

Why was he in her bed! Examining closer, Erza realized that he was in fact shirtless which left a pink blush across her face. Taking as much courage as she could summon, Erza lifted the covers slightly to peek underneath. She breathed out a sigh of relief to reveal a long pair of dark plaid pajama pants covering him. Though it still didn't relief all her worries, he was still in her bed.

Jellal must have felt the breeze as Erza lifted the covers and he instinctively turned over, nudging closer to her body for warmth. She tensed up as he wrapped his strong, muscular arms around her torso of her sitting form. He nuzzled his face against her lap, softly breathing in his deep sleep.

"G-Get off." Erza whispered, her pink face now beginning to turn red.

"Er-chan." He mumbled in his sleep, squeezing her body tighter.

Suddenly, Erza grinned mischievously as she recalled something Natsu was telling. The fire dragon had found Lucy talking in her sleep in her bed. Natsu then begun asking her many, humiliating questions and the celestial mage had answered every single one truthfully. Lucy had no idea. She caught herself before she started giggling, not wanting to ruin her opportunity and wake up Jellal.

"Jellal? Can you hear me?" She inquired softly, bending down to whisper in his ear. Her strands of scarlet locks feel on his face.

"Yeah, Erza." His deep voice sounded even more seductive in his drowsy tone.

"Um ..." She found herself speechless, unsure of what to ask him. Natsu never really told exactly what he had asked Lucy, "W-What are you doing in my bed?"

"I ... I was tired." That's it?

"Did you come through the window?" Erza asked.

"Yes." He answer bluntly with his eyes still closed, probably dreaming his conversation with Erza at the moment.

"Why are you here?" She lifted up her head from his ear, feeling her neck getting sore from the awkward angle. She noticed a small smile form on his thin lips. _Oh no! Did I wake him up?_ She felt herself begin to panic.

"Because I love Erza!" He spoke in almost a child like manner, his body lifting up in a quick motion and embracing Erza tightly. She felt the air being forced out of her lungs by his hugging. He was most definitely is still asleep, Jellal would never do such a thing awake.

"O-OKay." Erza muttered, pushing him away, the blush from earlier had never left her face. Jellal returned his position from before with his arms around her torso and continued his light snoring, "I shouldn't ask anymore questions." She sighed forcefully. She should be worrying about more important things than asking a sleeping person questions.

Her thin night gown didn't save her from the intense warmth emitting from Jellal's body, his heat made her whole body feel as if it was blushing. This was crazy, she had to wake him up immediately before her comrades from Fairy Tail began looking for her since she was late. She poked his side roughly but he didn't seem to stir. Erza continued prodding him but to no avail.

"Why won't you wake up?" Erza slightly growled, jabbing her index finger hard on his cheek.

"Because I like laying like this with Erza." Jellal mumbled, surprising the Titania.

"R-Really?" She squeaked, slightly embarrassed. The mighty Titania, who was proud and confident, was embarrassed and looked like she was running hot with a fever just by him saying those words.

"Yeah." His dark, brown eyes slowly opening and a smirk forming across his lips. Jellal stared up at Erza, who was completely speechless and blushing. He felt quite accomplished. He had successfully fooled the warrior into thinking he had been asleep this whole time. He woke up whenever Erza did but he decided to pretend to still be asleep to see what type of action she would do. Jellal didn't expect her to ask him questions but he played along, though he did answer them all truthfully.

"What are you doing here?" She asked softly, refusing to met his gaze.

"Didn't I tell you? Because I love Erza." He smirked even more as he grabbed underneath her chin and pulled her face towards his. Her innocent, brown eyes blinked in confusion just before he pulled her closer and placed his lips on her's. Her body tensed up but she then soon relaxed and returned his gentle kiss. After releasing from their kiss, Erza smiled as she brushed her fingers over his hand.

"I love Jellal as well." She said, giving him a quick peck on the cheek, "I-I have to get ready though, my friends will be worried if I don't show up!"

"Well then, you might wanna check your underwear draw. Some might be missing."

"W-What!" She responded to his teasing by grabbing her feather pillow and knocking him in the head, Jellal only laughed as he grabbed her sides and began tickling her. He ignored her protests and continued with his onslaught of tickles.

Maybe sleeping in wasn't so bad. Erza thought she might do it more often.

* * *

><p>AN ;; **Thanks for reading guys! I really enjoyed writing an Erza/Jellal story, their so cute together! I haven't read that far into the manga, but I heard what happens in Ch. 264~**


End file.
